Two weeks ago, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made headlines when he revealed his plans to get “sauced” and gamble on college football while his wife was out of town for the weekend.
Perhaps “Mad Dog” should have saved the cocktail and the edible for a week later.
Because if Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take was any indication, Russo was fired up and then some watching Team USA lose the Ryder Cup to Team Europe. During his “What are you Mad about?” segment, the sports radio legend unleashed an epic rant directed at a number of Team USA members.
“The U.S. was so bad. And Zach Johnson, I could have picked the lineup,” Russo started off relatively calmly, before seeing a highlight of Rickie Fowler landing a shot in the water. “Where is it? It’s in the water on 16!”
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo gives an incredible Ryder Cup rant so good that it put Stephen A. Smith on the floor. pic.twitter.com/pZLVcw1Snf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 4, 2023
An increasingly excited Russo proceeded to criticize Dustin Johnson for not playing in the event, team captain Zach Johnson for his performance and Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, for his feud with Rory McIlroy. After host Molly Qerim said she wasn’t aware of the LaCava-McIlroy dust up, Russo shouted “pay attention!” at her before asking Stephen A. Smith “do you follow sports?” after he also admitted to being unaware of the story.
The bulk of Russo’s ire, however, was directed at Cantlay, who reportedly didn’t wear the Team USA hat in protest of players not being paid for the event.
“He’s representing the US of A!” a very demonstrative Russo shouted in Smith’s direction. “You make $50 million a year! You know what? How about for a weekend, you play for your country?”
Truth be told, no transcription or description of Russo’s rant can do it justice — not only for the rant itself, but the reaction of his co-hosts, including Qerim, Smith, Marcus Spears and Kimberley Martin.
“This is so good,” Qerim said. “I don’t want this to end.”
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.