David Wright Says Matt Harvey Should be Accountable, Doesn't Agree with Blowing Off Media
By Kyle Koster
Matt Harvey didn’t speak to the media after his latest poor outing moved his season record to 3-7 and ERA to 6.08. The decision yielded a bigger target on his back for critics and caused his teammates to answer more questions on his behalf.
Mets captain David Wright spoke on the topic Wednesday and had critical, yet diplomatic words for the young pitcher.
"“Obviously, Harvey is going through a rough stretch, I think we’ve all been there,” Wright told The Post after the Mets beat the Nationals 2-0. “With that being said, I think the consensus is we should all be accountable for what we do on the baseball field. “All of us like coming in here and talking when we have good games and a few of us, myself included, enjoy coming in here and talking when we don’t play well. Accountability is big and I think [Harvey] just had a bit of a lapse in judgement.” "
Wright said he hasn’t spoken to Harvey about the incident yet because he wants to give him “a little space.”
"“Him, the stature that he has built, the last thing you want … you want to be known as an accountable player,” Wright said. “You want to be a stand-up guy, and this is a little blip on the radar screen. Hopefully we all learn from it and don’t make the same mistake again.”"
There’s surely a faction that finds these comments ridiculously over-serious and couldn’t care less if a player speaks to reporters. But when a conflict like this happens, it undeniably puts a strain on other teammates, who have to address the situation.
Wright, a savvy veteran, should be commended for softly condemning Harvey’s actions without suggesting it reflects some character flaw. There’s a lesson there for the scorned media, which seems more than willing to treat a blown-off interview with more venom and fire than an off-field DUI.