Cardinals try to put toothpaste back in tube on Kyler Murray study clause removed

The Arizona Cardinals have removed the “independent study” clause from Kyler Murray’s contract but the cat is already out of the bag on that one.

If you watch court room dramas, you probably know the tripe of a sneaky attorney asking a leading question they know the judge will strike from the record.

The court tells the jury to disregard the information, but everyone knows once something is said out loud it’s out there.

That’s what the Cardinals just did with Kyler Murray’s “independent study” clause.

The Cardinals removed Kyler Murray’s study clause

Ian Rapoport reported that Arizona struck the clause from his contract on Wednesday. Shortly after the report, the team confirmed the move.

“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract. It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in his contract.”

Arizona probably didn’t intend for the clause to cause such a stir, but it’s hard to argue it meant anything other than what it was perceived to mean. You don’t have to put that kind of addendum into a contract if you have no worries about how much time your quarterback spends studying film.

Backtracking now won’t change much. Distractions are like toothpaste. It’s hard to get them back inside the tube.

To be fair, the Cardinals are best off making this kind of statement to appease Murray. They’re right that $230 million is a pretty clear endorsement. But Murray can simultaneously be capable of leading the team and have poor study habits that need to be corrected.