Percy Harvin Trade: Christian Ponder Doesn’t Care What Harvin Thinks
By Josh Hill
One of the biggest moves this offseason happened not in free agency but via trade. The Minnesota VIkings shipped embattled wide receiver Percy Harvin off to the Seattle Seahawks just prior to free agency opening and the shockwaves are still being felt. It’s not that the trade was surprising, as it had basically been in the works since the Vikings played the Seahawks last year and Percy Harvin exploded on head coach Leslie Frazier. But one of the reasons Harvin reportedly wanted out of Minnesota was his distaste for all things Christian Ponder.
Christian Ponder simply doesn’t care what Harvin thinks about him though.
“The thing is, there’s no quote strictly from Percy that he was the one saying it,” Ponder said. “I haven’t put too much thought into it. If that was his opinion, that’s unfortunate. But he’s a Seahawk now, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Ponder went on to say that the Seahawks are a better team because they have Harvin, but they Vikings are also winners because they no longer have Harvin.
“Seattle wins, because they get him. Percy wins — he got a new contract, which was what he really has been wanting,” Ponder said. “And we win, because we get some good draft picks. People have their opinions. There were things I could have done better [last season]. But now that he’s on a different team, his opinion doesn’t really mean much.”
The story goes, Harvin wouldn’t shut up about how much he hated the way Ponder was running the offense, and in case you were living inside a box last season, the Vikings were having a hard enough time selling the idea of Christian Ponder without Harvin adding to the negativity. Fans endured a fierce love-hate relationship with Ponder last year with Vikings fans praising him one week and calling for his public crucifixion the next.
Harvin blabbing about how much he hated Ponder didn’t help matters and despite what Ponder says about there not being any direct quotes from Harvin stating his distain for the quarterback, the fact the Vikings traded him speaks loudly enough.
With Harvin gone, the Vikings now some serious damage control as they currently don’t have a No. 1 wide receiver on the roster, and Vikings fans view Christian Ponder as the reason their favorite pot smoking slot receiver is now in Seattle.