As I’m sure the coaching staff intended, the release of Panthers’ cornerback Charles Godfrey sent a strong message to a defense that came into the season with expectations of being one of the league’s best.
“It’s kind of a wakeup. You’re re-introduced to the fact that this is a business,” free safety Thomas DeCoud said. “It’s kind of what we signed up for. It comes with the territory. But it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Defensive teammate Josh Norman pointed out that Godfrey was still adjusting to making the transition from safety to corner, a position he hadn’t played since his time at the University of Iowa.
“He was kind of out of position. I think we all knew that,” cornerback Josh Norman said. “But at the same time, it’s one of those things where it’s the nature of the business. It’s the nature of the beast. It sucks when that happens. You’ve got to find a way to bounce back from it, which I know Godfrey will.
“He’s a safety, man. He can play it. He started in this league for how many years? That’s hard to do.”
But safety Roman Harper may have had the most candid comment of everyone.
“With a guy of his stature who’s been here for as long as he had, and all of a sudden you wake up and he’s not here, it’s definitely got to be a shock. It’s shocking to me,” Harper said. “But it’s a job. We’ve got to take it seriously and understand that nobody’s job is safe from top to bottom.
“They’ll always fire you before you get them fired. That’s just what I’ve always been taught.”
You better believe that. Better to learn sooner than later that there’s no loyalty in professional sports. It’s straight Dog Eat Dog.
H/T: Charlotte Observer