EXCLUSIVE: Rams GM Les Snead tells story behind iconic "F*** them picks” t-shirt from Super Bowl parade
Rams General Manager Les Snead went viral earlier this year thanks to his fashion statement made during the team's Super Bowl parade. At the parade, he was seen sporting a shirt that read "F*** them picks." The NFL zeitgeist could not get enough.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Ian Van Roy, the Rams general manager explained what led to his decision to wear the shirt and where the idea originally came from. Here's how he put it, starting by explaining where he got the shirt:
"I think at the end of the day, you know, I think a good friend of mine had, as a joke, had given it to me, one of those T shirts as a Christmas present. You know how that goes. [They were] like, 'Alright, you gotta wear it'."
He recalled his response:
"[Originally,] I was like, 'I'm not wearing this.' You kind of make the old deal with the devil with your family and with your friends. 'Maybe if we win the Super Bowl. I'll put this thing on.' You win the Super Bowl, and you're like, 'you know what, got to put that thing if you ever gonna wear it.' It's a Super Bowl parade after you've won…"
I reported in the spring that Sean McVay and Les Snead are both scheduled to enter the 2022 reg season w/ contract extensions. McVay deferred on exact timeline for announcement of both deals, but my expectation is they’re still on track for training camp as Kevin Demoff implied.
Van Roy then asked if he ever got a shirt for LeBron James. Snead said he had not, but also talked about how the star basketball player's tweets about him increased his popularity at home:
"You know, I didn't, it's probably a good idea… I will say that when LeBron tweeted about me, I became a lot cooler with my kids."
Sean McVay said he feels “really good” about the direction the contract discussions with the Rams are going. He said he once again expects his contract to line up with GM Les Snead.
Les Snead's biggest gamble
Over the years, the general manager has gambled on a lot more than his fashion choices. Most notably, the general manager agreed to send away his star quarterback Jared Goff in exchange for Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The GM had reached a Super Bowl with the quarterback but failed to win the big game.
Instead of settling, Les Snead decided to ship the quarterback to Detroit for Stafford. Stafford had never won a playoff game, leading many to wonder if he could get the team further than Goff.
The gamble paid off. In his first year with the team, the quarterback threw for 40 touchdowns for just the second time in his career.
On his watch, Snead's new quarterback helped the team dominate through the regular season to a 12-5 record. Once the regular season ended, they fought their way through Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Joe Burrow, en route to a Lombardi Trophy. If the team wins the big game again, what shirt will he win then?
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