Archuleta said that published reports in which he accused a member of the organization of having "lied" to him were false, and said such an exchange never took place. The safety said he was speaking hypothetically about the exit interviews that occur annually around the NFL this time of year, where pleasantries are often exchanged but concrete criticism is infrequent.

"I never said that anyone lied to me," Archuleta said. "I have no problem standing behind what I say, but that's not what I said."

The coaches pulled him out of the starting lineup during a practice about two months ago, without giving him a reason, according to team sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity regarding Archuleta's status with the franchise.

Archuleta said he has felt like an outcast since. "They haven't said anything to me," Archuleta said of the defensive staff.

Archuleta said he did have a 10-minute meeting with Coach Joe Gibbs around the time of his benching, but he has had no recent conversations with Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense.

"I talked to Coach Gibbs briefly, and he told me to keep busting my butt and to fight through it, which is fair," Archuleta said. "He pulled me in to try to boost my confidence earlier in the season, which I appreciated."

"Here's a guy who had the big number, the big expectations, all because of that big contract and he's been selfless about it even when you think that some of the things happening to him haven't really been too fair," one veteran said of Archuleta. "You watch how he's handled this whole thing and it says something. It says a lot about him."