EQ Moment #5:
Cardinals Quarterback Melts Down

Derek Anderson’s laughter on the sideline while his team was getting being slaughtered would only have registered as a blip on the public’s radar had he showed composure during the post-game interview. The reporter provided Anderson ample opportunity to explain himself, asking difficult questions in a careful and respectful manner. At first, Anderson was merely defensive, denying that he was laughing on the sideline, but once the reporter told him the episode had been broadcast on television, the quarterback immediately funneled his profound shame and embarrassment into anger . This sequence provides a perfect example of how easy it is for anyone to transfer emotions that are difficult to deal with—including shame, embarrassment, and fear—into anger, an emotion much easier to tolerate as it shifts blame outward to another entity. In Anderson’s case, a little self-awareness would have helped him realize he was heading down this path before he exploded, and self-management would have enabled him to tolerate the embarrassment of being caught red handed. If Anderson wasn’t sloughing off as the reporter suggested, he would have looked more innocent had he kept his cool in the aftermath.