Falcons Rookie QB Matt Ryan Buys Sound System For Locker Room

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who will make his first NFL regular-season start on Sunday against the visiting Lions, recently bought a $10,000 sound system for the team’s locker room.

That’s not a big expense for someone who signed a six-year, $72 million deal after being selected with the third overall pick in the draft in April. But Detroit Lions rookie tackle Gosder Cherilus, who spent four seasons protecting Ryan’s blind side at Boston College, said Wednesday he didn’t view his former teammate as such a free-spender.

“He was never that type of guy,” Cherilus said. “He took us out to dinner once last year, after the Georgia Tech game. He did pretty well, you know. He took us out to dinner, which was pretty nice of him.”

Ryan threw for a career-high 435 yards in a 24-10 upset victory over the Yellow Jackets last September in Atlanta. The Eagles were ranked No. 21 and Georgia Tech was ranked No. 15.

Cherilus joked that Ryan would “do anything to save a penny, a buck.”

Asked about the sound system, Ryan said: “It was just something a lot of players felt needed to be done for the locker room. I was kind of fortunate to be in the situation that I’m in and felt it was appropriate, so took care of that.”