JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Lenny Curry stopped by The Mark Brunell Show on Monday night, where he was asked to share his feelings about star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey requested a trade last month following a heated argument with coach Doug Marrone on the sideline in Houston and a much-less-public exchange with personnel chief Tom Coughlin after the game. Team owned Shad Khan told The Associated Press last week that he has no plans to trade Ramsey.
When asked to share his thoughts, Curry had only positive things to say about Ramsey and the team.
"As a fan, I want the organization and the player to do the business side of it. Now, do I want Jalen Ramsey in Jacksonville? Absolutely. However, these men are more than a number and a helmet on a football field. They're people. They have personal lives, and in the unfortunate event that Jalen moves on, I'm not going to view him any different as a person," Curry said.
The mayor took a moment to share a personal experience he had with Ramsey when the player was new to the team.
"His rookie year, I saw him before a game. My daughter was there and she wanted to interact and I said, 'No. He's getting ready to do his job. This is business.' He's very aware. He spotted something. He didn't know me from -- he didn't know I was the mayor of Jacksonville, he's a rookie. After the game in the parking lot, he spotted her and recognized her, walked over and said, 'I'm sorry we lost that game for you today,' asked her if she wanted to take a picture, and I've seen him do that kind of thing a number of times," Curry said.
Fresh in the mayor's mind was the Jaguars Legends Community Gala, where former teammates celebrated the team's 25 years in the NFL on Saturday night. In total, there were 75 former Jags in attendance.
"Really, 25 years and what this organization and this team means to the city -- it brings people together on any given Sunday from all backgrounds for one cause and the branding it does for us nationally," Curry said.
Cole Pepper asked Curry about the new, upcoming Bold City Bash, which will take place on the Friday night before the Florida-Georgia game. Tickets cost $15, and fans will be able to enjoy watching the UF and UGA baseball teams go head-to-head. Brett Young and Chase Rice will perform in concert and there will be a fireworks show.
"It's just a way to kickoff a great weekend. It's always a great weekend here and a long tradition in our city," Curry said.
Also brought up Monday on the Mark Brunell Show: Curry used to play football at Middleburg High School. Check out this photo:
"I was probably 205 (pounds) in that picture, but I got up to 230 at one point," Curry said. "It was some mass!"
Cole spoke with the mayor about how many former Jaguars players, much like Mark Brunell, have made Jacksonville their home after their days playing. He asked Curry about a new project he's working on.
"I'm going to be doing little interviews with people that live in Jacksonville, maybe have relocated here recently or have been here for a while, people that are profiled in the city. People might know them by their jobs, not necessarily who they are when their not doing their jobs," Curry said.
His first interviewee?
"Myles Jack. We'll be pushing that out here shortly," the mayor said.
You can catch the Mark Brunell Show on Monday nights at 7 p.m. on The CW-17.