ORLANDO — At the edge of a sprawling maze of sports fields in the heart of his home state, Santonio Holmes turned to the man a few feet away with this request: “Don’t tweet where I am right now.”
The mercurial wide receiver has disappeared since the moment he slipped out of the Jets’ locker room three months ago without saying a word, escorted by a public-relations official, in the aftermath of an epic meltdown in the season-ending loss to the Dolphins.
Holmes grew increasingly disgruntled last season. His discontent bubbled to the surface in the season finale when television cameras caught him jawing with teammates in the huddle before then-offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer benched him for the final few minutes of the game.
Holmes had already grown frustrated with Mark Sanchez during a meeting the Wednesday before the game. He failed to show up to a meeting organized by the quarterback the next day.
He has come to life from time to time on social media through a random series of tweets about everything from personal hygiene (“Don’t forget to change your tooth brush every 3 months”) to a congratulatory note to Sanchez after the quarterback signed a three-year extension a few weeks ago.
Very happy for Mark & the entire team with his extension. Looking forward to getting back to work when I get back this amazing trip @nyjets
— Santonio Holmes (@santonio10) March 12, 2012
After a nearly four-hour workout on Thursday, Holmes declined to discuss specifics about the past, present or future of the Jets. He’s been to Africa and back, undaunted by the perception that he’s the villain who created the Jets’ locker-room mess that derailed their season.
“The media don’t make me and the media don’t break me,” Holmes told the Daily News, tapping his chest and extending his arms. “I’m Santonio Holmes . . . and that’s it.”
Although the enigmatic Holmes didn’t want to discuss the circus atmosphere surrounding the team, friends who train with him told The News that he has purposely steered clear of making any public comments about the Jets’ recent trade for Tim Tebow.
“He didn’t really care (about the trade),” said one player who trains with Holmes in Orlando. “ ‘Tone’ just wants the ball.”
Although Sanchez said a few weeks ago that he had recently spent a couple days with Holmes in Orlando and patched up any differences, the player who trains with Holmes told The News that Holmes simply wants to win regardless of whether Sanchez or Tebow is under center.
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