Chris Godwin’s wife is not playing with Todd Bowles.
Recently, the wife of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin wanted to set the record straight on her husband’s limited activity on the field. After last Sunday’s game, she took offense at head coach Todd Bowles’s assertion that he was more injured than other players, which is why he hasn’t received the time he is used to on the field.
“I’m not sure why we are just blatantly lying here,” Mariah Godwin wrote on Instagram. “Regardless of how banged up Chris is, he continues to work his a** off and hasn’t missed a game. Continues to run great routes and get open.”
“I don’t know why things are the way they are, this isn’t my team to coach,” she continued. “But this lying on Chris and implying negativity on his work ethic is infuriating. Let’s not act like he had to be subbed out so much more than usual when, in fact, he’s been playing just the same.”
Passing The Bucc Or Nah?
Bowles said Chris Godwin was “not totally 100 percent,” which was the reason for the lack of production during Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers. Godwin was only targeted three times with no receptions. He did have one rushing attempt on a reverse, which resulted in a 19-yard scamper for a touchdown.
“We were subbing him out a lot,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he’s a little nicked up, so he’s not totally 100 percent. Nobody is, but he is probably banged up more than most. For him to get the run for us was huge for him. I think it helped him out a lot, it helped us out a lot, so it was good to see him get in the end zone.”
Godwin has 85 targets, 53 catches, 606 yards, and one touchdown through 12 games in 2023.
The frustration Mariah Godwin seems a little misguided when, in actuality, Bowles is being protective of his athlete.
Can Never Be Too Careful
According to a Boston University’s CTE Center report in February 2023, “345 former NFL players were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) out of 376 former players studied.” CTE can only be diagnosed after death. However, repetitive head trauma is the chief risk factor for CTE.
Because Godwin was already injured and playing through injuries, Bowles is entitled to protect the investment on the team’s offensive weapon.
Although Godwin’s wife is annoyed by what she feels is a false narrative that Bowles is creating, another could be that he is protecting his player from the many dangers of overuse of a banged-up player in the game. What she views as Bowles throwing Godwin under the bus is more likely protective parenting at best.
Mariah Godwin is a rider for her man, but a cease is in order in this case.
The Buccs are currently 5-7 and go to the ATL to do battle against the Falcons, who are 6-6. The game places the Buccs in a position to generate a three-way tie at the division’s top, bearing the New Orleans Saints beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.