Joe Kinsey
That didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after it was announced that Mike McCarthy used watermelons and a sledgehammer to motivate his defense ahead of Sunday’s game against Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings, some are accusing McCarthy of being racist for using watermelons.
Shannon Sharpe fired away with the hot take this morning on FS1’s Undisputed, saying of the Cowboys head coach: “You’re white America. Any time you have black people in your presence, watermelon has a negative connotation.”
(Skip, off camera: “Yep.”)
“Let it go,” Sharpe continued. “Things that were acceptable many, many years ago, even though it wasn’t acceptable, it was tolerated, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Find another tool, another mechanism to motivate your players.
“Black players: if you need somebody, a white man smashing watermelons to get you motivated, you’re in the wrong line of business. It’s not funny. It’s not cute.
“I don’t know what Mike McCarthy was thinking.”
And there it is, we’ve reached that stage of 2020.
— Viral Sports (@NotScTop10plays) November 24, 2020
NFL’s Tom Pelissero sets the scene for us on this whole watermelon-smashing incident that has Shannon Sharpe so fake-outraged. Here’s how it goes down: Saturday night, McCarthy gets up in front of the team at the hotel and tells them he doesn’t think he did a good enough job emphasizing how he wants the defense to hammer the football out of Dalvin Cook’s hands.
A sledgehammer comes out and watermelons with objectives written on them are rolled in. Mike reads an objective and smashes the watermelon. The grand finale is a watermelon with Dalvin Cook’s picture on it. Demarcus Lawrence, a seven-year vet, grabs the sledge and smashes the Cook watermelon.
Fast forward to the game, where Lawrence recovered a fumble after a huge hit on Cook by Donovan Wilson. The Cowboys play inspired ball, and the defense gave McCarthy hugs on the sideline.
Nice reach, Shannon.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on bringing a sledgehammer all the way to Minnesota: “That’s the beauty of flying charter.” He said comedian Gallagher inspired his act, first described here by @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/DssHBIbiLu
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 23, 2020
Donovan Wilson’s huge hit on Dalvin Cook that turned the ball over. https://t.co/zwoBj5YWc1
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 22, 2020
So this means Gallagher was the most racist comedian of all time. Yes, I have just dated myself
I was thinking the same thing
‘Idiocracy’ is getting less and less funny by the day as it looks more and more like a documentary.
From a commentary standpoint it was a brilliant movie. Look at all the idiots being fine with lock downs and masks as long as they can get UBI, shop on Amazon and watch Neftlix. Future of America: home of the jailed and the lazy.
Does Mr. Macho Sharpe…who wasn’t there and apparently doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘context’…really think black men are that easily offended by a FRUIT???
And this is a rhetorical question by the way.
Sharpe has a mouthful of rocks.
He should have used arugula and tofu.
This is just plain stupid on Sharpe’s part. Wonder how he would have damned McCarthy if he’d used cantelope.
The idea that watermelon is only for black people is silly. Just because SHARPE says its racist don’t make it so.
Sharpe is a race baiter. Fuck him. Im 57 with Parkinson’s and I will fight him anywhere and anytime. I still have my techniques from 32 years as a corrections officer. Contact him if you know him. PPV. I lose i donate 500.00 to charity. If I win he resigns as a broadcaster forever
I wonder if he gave the players in the front rows plastic to cover up.
Man I love you for saying this!