It’s difficult for me to believe this story, but it amuses me all the same. On the Micheal Irvin Show yesterday, former Cowboys defensive linebacker Greg Ellis was complaining about his “diminished role” on the team last season, and eventually — get ready — told the tale of The Most Selfless Hide-And-Seek Game Ever.

“It’s a disgrace when DeMarcus Ware comes off the field just so I can get in the game and when the coaches tell him to come on the field, he tries to hide so I can play,” Ellis said on Irvin’s show.

Whoa, dude. I like to think I have my share of impressive hide-and-seek stories (one time I removed the contents of a refrigerator, took out the shelves, and hid in it), but I concede the prize to you.

All right, full disclosure. I didn’t hide in the fridge; that was actually the kid down the street who could burp the alphabet. And I suspect that Ellis’ story doesn’t have a lot of merit either. Both Ellis and Ware started all 16 games from the Cowboys last season. From the Dallas Morning News:

Ware rarely sat out a defensive snap with the exception of late in the Thanksgiving win over the Seahawks, when he suffered a knee injury.

So … Ware recorded 20 sacks last season; Ellis recorded eight. Despite both players seeing plenty of playing time, they decide that it’s unfair that .. Ellis isn’t getting enough playing time. Ware hides from coaches so that Ellis, who is good, but not as good as Ware, can play more. Even though, again, they both saw plenty of playing time. Okey-dokey!

I’m not buying this story, but I see why it was told. Linebackers like Ellis have probably been very large people all their lives, and for obvious reasons, big kids aren’t as good as hide-and-seek. Lacking any true understanding of the childhood game, Ellis fudged a story about it. He probably thinks hide-and-seek is played with a tennis racket, the poor fellow.