Bills' Fred Jackson says he can't respect Donte Whitner; Whitner defends remarks

Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson has little regard for Cleveland Browns safety Donte Whitner.

Whitner, selected eighth overall by the Bills in the 2006 NFL Draft, spent the first five years of his career with the organization. Jackson and Whitner were teammates from 2006-11.

In the off-season, Whitner antagonized the Bills' fan base referring to the team as the "Toronto Bills" and made light of the team's potential relocation.

Jackson commented on his relationship with Whitner before the Bills and Browns square off on Sunday.

"That's just him being him. Donte is a guy that likes to ruffle feathers," Jackson said to the Buffalo News' Jay Skurski. "He found any way he could to try and ruffle Buffalo's feathers, knowing he had to come up to us.

"You can't respect anybody that would say something about whatever it may be - a race of people, or somebody's beliefs or anything like that. If you talk down to anybody, you can't be respected."

Whitner also provoked former Bills linebacker Darryl Talley in a feud that turned ugly as Whitner invoked the name of Talley's daughter via Twitter.

The Browns' safety didn't stop there, calling out Bills rookie Sammy Watkins after the 21-year-old expressed disappointment in June that the Browns passed on him at the 2014 NFL Draft. Buffalo traded up to select Watkins fourth overall.

Whitner defended his comments Wednesday.

"I didn't say anything really too disrespectful," Whitner told ESPN's Mike Rodak regarding his comments about the Bills potentially being relocated. "Anybody else that I was talking to, they were cursing and going back and forth. Maybe you should take that up with them.

"I knew that it would get to them. I knew it would ruffle a feather. If they're over there talking about this, maybe we are in their heads. Maybe I'm in their heads."

The ninth-year pro also addressed his warning to Watkins.

"I didn't like that he called our defensive backs out. ... Thirty-one other football teams in the National Football League didn't draft him. So don't single out the Cleveland Browns. That's why I said what I said. And the rest of our DBs feel the same."

Ahead of their clash at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Whitner doesn't expect a warm welcome from the Bills' faithful.

"I'm not going to shy away from the crowd and saying whatever they're going to say. They talk bad to me on Twitter every day. I'm used to it."

Whitner may not be the only member of the Browns to receive a cold shoulder from the Bills' home crowd: head coach Mike Pettine left the Bills after one season as the team's defensive coordinator.