Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon has insisted that he pays no attention to his critics following his return from suspension.
Blackmon's recent four-match ban for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy was his second offence of that kind within a year and third in less than three years, leaving his reputation in tatters.
However, the 23-year-old insists that he is a "good person" who is intent on improving as a player and that he doesn't take any notice of what the public's perception of him may be.
"I just don't really care about people on the outside. I don't care what they've got to say. I don't really care how they view me because they don't try to know me," Blackmon told reporters.
"They won't ever know me, so that's not important to me. They can feel however they want to feel. All I can do is control what I can control, and that's showing up here, trying to get better every day and carrying that out there on the field.
"I'm a very good person, I would say, although people think I'm an asshole. Like I said, not everybody's going to view me how I want them to. I'm not going to try to force them or make them view me that way, either. If they want to get to know me, they can get to know me. If not, I could care less about them."
The Jaguars face the San Diego Chargers in their next match, looking for their first win of the season at the seventh time of asking.
Barney Corkhill
