JJ Redick, clearly, has no time for antiquated takes on how professional athletes are supposed to act.
Redick, a former NBA sharpshooter who has become a podcast host as well as analyst for ESPN since retiring, went viral Wednesday for taking aim at "First Take” co-host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
During the show, Russo said Draymond Green should "shut up and play". The night before, Green gave Memphis Grizzlies fans the middle finger as they cheered him getting injured, then said afterwards he didn’t regret it. Redick fired back by saying the criticism sounded like what hosts on Fox News would say.
The comment took off, and Redick on Wednesday explained on the “Pat McAfee Show” why it was important to him to fire back.
“He made a comment in reference to Draymond that I really had to push back against," Redick said. "In the aftermath, I walked back in the green room, and there was a moment where I was like oh s–t, this is probably going to go viral. It’s not my intention, but what he said in reference to Draymond was shut up and play. Of course, we’ve all heard that in reference to athletes before.
“I do think there is a certain generation, I do think it is a little bit generational, that certain people are uncomfortable with athletes being outspoken. But the undertones of that and the connotation of that, that we’re meant strictly for your entertainment purposes, that we are to use our body strictly for your entertainment and we are not allowed to be human and show emotion and talk s–t, I just don’t like that at all.
“I think I gently – I could’ve went a little harder – pushed back at Mad Dog. We were fine after the segment, it was fine.”
Redick has really blossomed as a media figure in a relatively short amount of time. Instances like Wednesday only prove how he can be such a valuable voice in the media space for years to come.
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