February 16, 2018
Chris Long was not happy when Fox News host Laura Ingraham took a shot at LeBron James' intelligence on the air Thursday night after the NBA superstar criticized President Donald Trump on an ESPN podcast this week.
And as the outspoken Philadelphia Eagles defensive end and two-time Super Bowl winner often does, Long called foul on Twitter.
I’ll be replying to my own tweet with a collage of your network allowing political commentary from a few folks. https://t.co/WUGl1WQSLE
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
James and Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant weighed in on the president during a pre-recorded conversation with ESPN's Cari Champion in January.
"The No. 1 job in America, the point person, is someone who doesn't understand the people, and really don't give a f**k about the people," James said in the video.
Calling the comments "barely intelligible" and "ungrammatical," Ingraham advised James to just "shut up and dribble."
"I’m numb to this commentary – like. Must they run their mouths like that?" Ingraham said on her show. "Look, there might be a cautionary lesson in LeBron for kids. This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA. And it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid a hundred million dollars a year to bounce a ball."
'Shut up and dribble' — Fox News's Laura Ingraham to LeBron and Kevin Durant after their criticism of President Trump pic.twitter.com/0BlokQDIIl
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 16, 2018
Long didn't like that.
So, he treated the network and his followers to a montage of Fox News "allowing political commentary from a few folks."
First, he gave a shoutout to musician Kid Rock, legendary college basketball coach Bob Knight and ANACONDA GUY seasoned actor Jon Voight.
ANACONDA GUY pic.twitter.com/FwutOPeBPH
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
MUSICIAN pic.twitter.com/vb2d9UIFRC
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
BASKETBALL. COACH. pic.twitter.com/IA7aRH2GR5
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
Then came Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris and Ted Nugent.
CHUCK. NORRIS. pic.twitter.com/DVVOnqYUil
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
TED NUGENT #FOXNEWSSPECIALIST pic.twitter.com/xrPBiUDqFo
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
CLINT EASTWOOD pic.twitter.com/Ly7raoKFX1
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
Some Twitter users then followed suit with a few more gems.
— Tiffany (@pedroiar) February 16, 2018
— Tiffany (@pedroiar) February 16, 2018
Football coach pic.twitter.com/GE4yYSS5m3
— David Kippe (@DavidTVF) February 16, 2018
Long's point, he said, was this:
I’m sure the network she works for has interviewed a bunch of athletes, just couldn’t find the screenshots quickly. The point is, what’s the prerequisite for who can talk politics? So, Fox News folks who agree with Laura... you okay with these segments?
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
And if you reply “stick to sports,” you should probably tune of out Fox News because they’ve got karate guys talking climate change on there. (Which I’m cool with... it’s his right.) Unless it’s just about you needing to feel like you’ve got control of athletes like Lebron.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018
Ingraham released a statement through the network on Friday, saying she's made similar remarks in the past about other entertainers and sports figures, including late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
"If pro athletes and entertainers want to freelance as political pundits, then they should not be surprised when they’re called out for insulting politicians," the statement read in part. "There was no racial intent in my remarks – false, defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism."
This story has been updated.
