3 NFL players who clapped back at journalists
NFL players must talk to the media as part of their contractual obligations with the league. Many players form solid working relationships with journalists, especially the beat writers covering their specific teams. While most of the time, the exchanges between journalists and players remain civil, every once in a while, it turns sour. Here are three times that happened with NFL players.
3 NFL players who were involved in an altercation with a journalist
#1 - Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Mary Kay Cabot is one of the reporters who follows the Cleveland Browns the closest. During the 2021 NFL season, she released an article outlining the apparent feud between quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski. She mainly claimed the two of them often disagreed on offensive philosophy and playcalling.
Baker Mayfield was unhappy with Cabot's piece and a tweet she sent out about Mayfield's future with the team. He fired back with a tweet, calling the story "clickbait" and accusing Cabot and other local reporters of making up false drama.
Clickbait. You and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama stirring reporters with no sources or facts. Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table. I’m not your puppet. twitter.com/MaryKayCabot/s…
#2 - Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
Richard Sherman infamously got into a heated argument with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell during a game against the Los Angeles Rams during the 2016 NFL season. When Sherman was asked what his problem was with Bevell's playcalling by ESPN reporter Jim Moore, he became annoyed.
Sherman got into an argument with Moore outside the locker room and threatened to ruin his career by making sure he was no longer able to receive media credentials for the Seahawks. It never got that far, as Sherman promptly apologized on Twitter.
I appreciate the role the media plays and they have a tough job. I let it get personal today and I regret that. Next one should be fun
#3 - Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 14-10 during the 2021 NFL season in a nationally televised game in prime time. It was a snowy and windy night, so the Patriots decided to use a strategy of simply running the ball every play on offense, throwing just three total passes for the entire game.
In a press conference following the game, reporter Jerry Sullivan asked Bills safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde if they were "embarrassed" by how the Patriots beat them. Poyer and Hyde were insulted by the phrasing of the question, calling Sullivan disrespectful, but eventually answered the question with a generic answer.