Trevor Lawrence responded to critics of Sports Illustrated's Daily Cover on the quarterback where he said he doesn't play with a "huge chip" on his shoulder.
Trevor Lawrence did not need to explain himself when critics blasted him for saying he doesn't play with a "huge chip" on his shoulder in Sports Illustrated's Daily Cover on Wednesday. Or how his wife, Marissa, added (and he agreed) that, “There’s also more in life than playing football.”
“It’s hard to explain that because I want people to know that I’m passionate about what I do and it’s really important to me, but . . . I don’t have this huge chip on my shoulder, that everyone’s out to get me and I’m trying to prove everybody wrong,” he said to SI's Michael Rosenberg. “I just don’t have that. I can’t manufacture that. I don’t want to.”
In response to Marissa, he added, “And I think people mistake that for being a competitor. . . . I think that’s unhealthy to a certain extent, just always thinking that you’ve got to prove somebody wrong, you’ve got to do more, you’ve got to be better.”
Doubters took to Twitter to blast the projected No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft over those comments and more, like how Lawrence's father said, “He’s not award-driven. He’s not, ‘I want to win a Super Bowl at all costs.’” His coach at Cartersville High, Joey King, even said, “There is no doubt about it: With who he is as a person, he could walk away from it tomorrow and be fine.”
Lawrence decided to address the critics' comments in a three-part tweet on Saturday, saying people misread his comments and that he's "internally motivated."
"I love football as much or more than anyone. It is a HUGE priority in my life, obviously. I am driven to be the best I can be, and to maximize my potential. And to WIN."
The quarterback added that he has "a lot of confidence in [his] work ethic," and that he loves "to grind and to chase [his] goals." However, he does not need football to feel worthy.
"That being said, I am secure in who I am, and what I believe. I don’t need football to make me feel worthy as a person," Lawrence tweeted. "I purely love the game and everything that comes with it. The work, the team, the ups and downs. I am a firm believer in the fact that there is a plan for my life and I’m called to be the best I can be at whatever I am doing."
What went largely unnoticed as people took to Twitter to question Lawrence's commitment was when he told his high school coach, “Coach, I just want to be the best that’s ever done it.”
More SI Daily Covers:
• The Trevor Lawrence Effect and the Jacksonville Effect
• Trevor Lawrence Is Out to Prove Absolutely Nothing
• What Happened to 'Sports Jeopardy!'?