Randy Moss, JJ Watt clap back at Austin Rivers’ lofty claim over NBA athletes’ superiority over NFL stars

The NFL offseason is the perfect time for worthless discussions, and Austin Rivers provided a golden opportunity on Tuesday with his comments comparing players from the two major sports in the U.S.

Rivers, who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and hasn't had much individual success in his career - although he was able to remain in the league for quite some time -, said that he could take 30 NBA players and put them in the NFL, but he couldn't put 30 NFL players in the NBA.

Rivers' theory was quickly dismissed by NFL stars of the past and the present. Names such as Randy Moss, JJ Watt and Tyrann Mathieu took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the NBA player, pointing out that they could also make a name for themselves in the basketball league:

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Tyrann Mathieu, for example, did not hold back his thoughts that only a perennial All-NBA could stop him:

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While JJ Watt decided that he wanted blood about the comment:

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Which NFL players also had a basketball career?

It's not uncommon to see former basketball players in college transitioning to football for their athletic types, especially as there's no impeditive as to whether football players can't play in other sports.

A famous example is Jimmy Graham, the superstar tight end who had an excellent career with the New Orleans Saints, the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. He spent four years with the Miami Hurricanes playing basketball and only had one season of football before going into the pros.

Another famous example is tight end Tony Gonzalez, who also played basketball for the California Golden Bears and even had a trip to the Sweet 16 during the NCAA Tournament in 1996-97. He went on to become one of the greatest tight ends of all time.

But perhaps the greatest example of them all is Antonio Gates, who played football professionally as, you guessed it, a tight end. He led Kent State to a historic run to the Elite 8 during the 2002 season, and although he wasn't able to go any further, Gates went on to a long, meritorious career with the Los Angeles Chargers.

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