Whitworth Wish I handled contract comments better

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Prior to the draft, dared the . Marvin Lewis followed by drafting offensive tackles in the first two rounds. The miffed veteran left tackle then and lack of communication with the organization. Scaling down the stages toward acceptance with his lot, Whitworth is now analyzing his situation and attempting to clear the air. "Monday was a tough day for me and probably handled it in ways I shouldn't have, to be honest," he said Saturday, . "To me, it's about always trying to make decisions that reflect my leadership and who I am. Because I hold myself to  Jaleel Johnson Jersey a high standard, I wish I maybe handled it a little better. But the real truth is, at the end of the day, I love it here, I love leading these guys and our family has always been committed to that and always will be." Whitworth added that he and the organization -- specifically owner The 33-year-old acknowledged that the proce s of watching an eventual replacement be drafted got the best of him, but he joined rookie camp to show he's on board to teach. "The proce s: It's tough, it's tough to go through. It's an emotional roller coaster a little bit," he said. "It's almost a challenge in some ways as a player. I'm excited about that, I'm excited about the opportunity to teach these kids and mentor them. "That's why I'm here today. I told (offensive line coach) Paul (Alexander) I'd like to come up here and help them out and just watch and participate. So it's a great opportunity to do that." While Whitworth -- still one of the best left tackles in the NFL -- won't lose his job this year, his future with the franchise is clearly a question.  and discu ses the current state of all 16 NFC teams. Find more content on .  Robert Javier Jersey