It took several months to speak his mind, but New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez finally offered an unfiltered opinion this week on last season's Tim Tebow media circus, suggesting the organization contributed to the excessive hype.
Sanchez said the media coverage, particularly last summer in training camp, was more intense than when they reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010.
"I think part of that, too, is ESPN didn't necessarily sneak in overnight at our training camp," he said on FOX Sports Radio in Los Angeles. "They had to get permission to go."
"You can avoid that stuff on your own if you like, in my opinion, but he's a popular guy and people gravitate toward the guy. He's a special person and a heck of a competitor, so people want to know what's going on, but that's all I got on that."
Sanchez said Tebow received more media attention than any player he's ever been around, adding, "I just don't know if it was the best situation for either of us, but you play with the cards you are dealt with and do the very best you can."
Sanchez made his comments Wednesday on the "Petros and Money Show," but the transcript wasn't distributed until Friday. He has known the hosts since his college days at USC and appears on their show periodically.
"There's a bunch of situations for me, personally, I wish I would have played a little better at times, but that's part of playing this game and trying to develop your identity as an offense," he said. "And some of the injuries we sustained prevented us from doing that.
"That's part of the game, too, so we really underachieved as a team."