Man, that makes this whole back-and-forth even more cringeworthy. I might expect this kind of thinking from a kid, but from someone old enough (and presumably mature enough) to reference Shula is mindblowing.
We're talking about people who have a job (NFL player), not a vocation. What they do on their own time, when not at work and who they call friends has no impact on Sundays. Players change teams all the time. Does that mean they can no longer have friendships with guys they used to play with?
This line of thinking is just bizarre...