TAMPA, Fla. -- Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is taking issue with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy's comments last month claiming that he's a Ring of Honor-caliber player and the Bucs should not have given his No. 93 jersey to Ndamukong Suh.
Sapp told PewterReport.com, "The thing that kind of threw me sideways was Gerald talking about now that this organization doesn't have a right [to give away his 93 jersey], or it's business that they moved on -- you know, they moved on," Sapp said.
"And then he wanted to say that Sapp, [Derrick] Brooks, Lee Roy [Selmon], [John] Lynch, Ronde [Barber], nobody wore their numbers. Last time I checked, those were Hall of Famers and champions. We didn't go to one playoff game with him and not one damn divisional title, so, I think he owes some of those hundred million dollars back if you go give it to me in that sense."
McCoy was released by the Bucs in May and signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. In July, he appeared on FS1's Undisputed in July, saying he felt it was disrespectful that the Bucs gave Suh his number.
"I'm one of the best players to ever play in the organization. I'm going to say it -- usually I wouldn't, but I'm going to say it. It kind of shows the respect and how they feel about me," McCoy said.
"I earned that respect. ... Tampa hasn't been a winning team, and we all know it's hard to be considered a Pro Bowl, All-Pro person on a losing team, and I did it six years straight. That's hard to do. For the respect I received after doing that, they showed none, and I don't know why."
Sapp, who served as a mentor for McCoy throughout his career, disagreed, however.
"He didn't have no chips in his game. No Defensive Player of the Year -- that's what Brooks and that's what Lee Roy Selmon did -- Lynch got his name in two damn Ring of Honors," Sapp said. "What am I missing here, Gerald? You're talking about something silly. Come on, man -- stop. If you're mad, you're mad, but don't put it on the organization that the organization did it. Every NFL team has to move on."
"He's a damn good player. A damn good player. But not even close [to a legend]. You damn sure don't get legendary status or tell somebody to put your jersey up if you don't take 'em to playoff games [laughs]. ... Not one playoff game. Not even a wild card. I went to nine. We went 5-4."
The third overall draft pick in 2010, McCoy led the Bucs to a 52-92 record (.361), the third-worst record in the league during that span. He was part of just two winning seasons -- 2010 when they went 10-6 under Raheem Morris (McCoy missed the final three games that year with injury) and 2016 when they went 9-7 under Dirk Koetter.
"Hey listen, we bought championships and divisional titles, and that's why that wall [on the Bucs Ring of Honor] is marked up with our marking," Sapp said. "That's why nobody wears 55, 99, 47, 20 and 63 -- fool! -- 40, the A-Train. Come on, man -- fool! That's what that is. He's a nice guy -- nice guys finish last. And that's why his jersey's getting worn [by Suh]."