Former NBA Star JJ Redick Snaps With Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo For Sounding Like Fox News

Former NBA player JJ Redick shocked Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on Wednesday for telling Fox News that willingness points to “silence and lie” about outspoken athletes of a race certain, adding that he doesn’t “appreciate people underfoot” coming from a strong sports professional.

During Wednesday’s ESPN gabfest broadcast FirstRusso – who began appearing weekly on the show this spring – pitted Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for his dramatic on-field antics.

Russo took particular issue with Green’s slamming Memphis Grizzlies fans for mocking him after he elbowed him in the face during the Warriors’ second-round playoffs on Tuesday night. The always colorful Green showed no remorse for his behavior during a post-match press conference: “It feels really good to expose them… If they’re so annoying, I might as well be upset, ” he declares.

The veteran radio sports presenter grumbled: “He’s hard to root. “Just shut up and play, would you please? America is in love with Draymond Green. I deal with him constantly. The fans, the San Francisco fans, were a different story. ”

After co-host Stephen A. Smith confusedly asked if he really meant “America,” Russo insisted that the entire nation was “tired” of Green.

“Just shut up and play. We all know he has a great skill set for that team but who in the world is sitting there; He’s so polarizing, I can’t root him,” added Mad Dog.

“The truth of the matter is that Draymond Green is being unjustly crucified by people like you,” countered Smith. “The fact of the matter is that it’s not his job to get along with the Memphis Grizzlies fans, they’re enemies and he’s trying to take them down. He had a good point. ”

Redick, who joined ESPN last year as an analyst after 15 years of playing football, then turned the volume up a few notches by calling Russo out for reclining on the notorious “silent” remark. and lies” by Fox News star Laura Ingraham about LeBron James. That moment, when she asked the NBA legend to stop talking about politics, sparked outrage and backlash.

“I wanted to create a bit of confusion with this ‘shut up and play’ because it has the same connotation that ‘silent and dribble’ crowds have on athletes and I really have a problem with that. there,” said Redick. “Particularly with Draymond – the idea that America was tired of him. Did you realize he has a very popular podcast where he hosts and he talks to himself for most of the episode and people listen to that.”

He continued: “He signed a talent contract with Turner [Sports] because people want to hear what Draymond has to say. The reason they wanted to hear what Draymond had to say was because – just like in this press conference – he was real, real, and unfiltered. You can’t take away what makes a player great, so there’s nothing to shut up and play. “

Russo, meanwhile, insists this is “not a political scenario or a racial situation,” adding that he’s just noting that Green is a “polarizing” character and that he’s just speaking for Millions of longtime basketball fans agree with him on the many-time NBA champion.

“I wouldn’t say it was a racing situation. I’m talking about the fans you’re talking about, they talk about athletes that way like you just talked about an athlete,” Redick shot back. “People on Fox News talk about athletes that way, that’s my problem.”

The former Duke star concluded: “I really don’t care about the fans who watched Bob Cousy play or watched Wilt. [Chamberlain] play. I don’t care! I appreciate they’ve been NBA fans for a long time, but I don’t appreciate the deep voice. “