Warren Sapp on Chad Clifton: 'I made him a household name'

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chad Clifton is still a sore subject for Warren Sapp.

On Tuesday, more than eight years after Sapp's then-legal blindside hit on Clifton, the Green Bay Packers' left tackle, put the offensive lineman's career in jeopardy, it was still a topic of conversation at Super Bowl XLV Media Day.

Although the NFL's competition committee implemented a rule change in 2005 that deemed hits such as Sapp's unnecessary roughness, the now-retired NFL Network analyst doesn't understand why he's been vilified.

Asked about Clifton's performance the last five weeks on Tuesday, Sapp said, "Next question."

Told that Clifton said the two shook hands in 2003, Sapp said, "That's a very long time ago. I was the only person who tackled Jerry Rice and got him off the field for the first time in his career. It doesn't come with the same vile as Chad Clifton. I'm trying to figure out why."

Sapp continued his defense.

"I made him a household name and $42 million," Sapp said. "What's the problem here? I still don't understand. You wouldn't know who Chad Clifton is if it wasn't for me. But now I'm so vile that I put a block on the guy?

"Really? C'mon. Stop it."

Sapp offered his take.

"In the trenches, we play a different game," he said. "We play a game that none of you are familiar with. We do things to each other that only linemen are allowed to do to each other.

"He needed his head on a swivel. He understands that now."

(usatoday.com)