Hooper was asked about co-existing with his teammate David Njoku, also a tight end, and ran over Witten in the process.
“David and I have always been cool,’' Hooper said on a Zoom call, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “David and I have always had a good relationship. A super nice, super sweet dude. Genuinely a good human being.
“My style, I’ve never really been a rah-rah guy at all,’' he said. “I just kind of like to lead by example, and if people have questions, I will answer them. I am an open book. I don’t try to hoard information. I don’t like doing the whole Jason Witten deal where it is me versus everyone else in the tight end room. I think it is more like we are all in this together. (TEs) David (Njoku), Harrison (Bryant), Stephen (Carlson), Pharaoh (Brown), Nate (Wieting), we are all in this together."
Hooper made it a point to say that no one will ever feel that way about him in the locker room, while adding that he wanted to be a mentor to other players. Which he perceives didn't happen with Witten and his tight end teammates.