ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - It didn’t bother Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman in the least that he was called out for wanting to be a celebrity. Indeed, Norman embraced the critique from a past teammate.
“I’ve been ’Hollywood,’” Norman said after the team’s walkthrough Wednesday. “Ever since I came out of my mama’s womb, I’ve been ’Hollywood.’”
Norman was reacting to comments by former Redskins defensive back DeAngelo Hall during a radio interview with 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday.
“Josh is, I think, in love with being a celebrity right now and not necessarily being a football player,” said Hall, who retired before this season. “Josh needs to refocus.”
Norman has been a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” appeared on as an NFL analyst on Fox Sports and spent time recently working on a new television project.
“I’m totally different from people. And if I’m different and if I feel like I want to do something, I’m going to do that. If you call that ’Hollywood,’ so be it,” Norman said. “Guess what? I’ll get my check from Hollywood. And I’ll come back and I’ll play ball. That’s just what we do.”
In Washington’s 43-19 loss to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, Norman was benched at the start of the second half by coach Jay Gruden.
The next day, Hall was critical of Norman’s play and said that “Josh probably wasn’t the best fit” for the Redskins defense.
While the celebrity-related barb was brushed aside by Norman, he seemed more upset about the idea that it was Hall who was speaking about him that way.
“I mean, I looked up to D-Hall. I really do. I still do. I mean his kids looked up to me and I looked up to him,” Norman said.
“I’m a hot button,” he added. “If you’re going to press it, you’re going to get something out of it.”
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