Running back Bijan Robinson helped power the Atlanta Falcons to victory with his feet on Thursday night, but he ended up stepping in it pretty good after the game.
Down 28-14 with 13 minutes remaining in the game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, kick-started by a six-yard touchdown run by Robinson. After pulling within two points with a little over three minutes remaining, they kicked a field goal as time expired to complete the 29-28 comeback win.
Robinson, who finished the game with 93 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards, and the score, stopped by the Prime Video Thursday Night Football Nightcap studio show after the game to discuss the victory. In the midst of their discussion, analyst Richard Sherman called out a play in which Robinson made several players miss, reminding him of backyard football. Robinson seemed to recognize that Sherman was referring to a classic “keep-away” game, but he used an unfortunate name that has accompanied it over the years.
“You had a play where they threw it to you, Bijan, they threw it to you in the backfield, you made the first one miss, then legged three people. And I said, this boy grew up in the backyard,” said Sherman.
“Smear the q****, that’s what we do,” responded Robinson.
That name is considered an offensive, homophobic slur and is widely condemned. While some have tried to claim it was meant to represent someone who is “odd” or “different” instead of an LGBTQ+ individual, the term was often used in a derogatory way at the time as well.
Someone on the TNF crew tried to change the reference to “kill the carrier,” but that’s a tricky genie to put back in the bottle.
A short while later, Robinson offered a heartfelt apology on social media.
“Hey everyone I want to apologize for the insensitive comment I made in the broadcast, it was a football game we used to play as a kid but that’s not an excuse,” he wrote. “I recognize the mistake and make sure to do better in the future. It was not reflective of my beliefs and I am so sorry to those I offended seriously!”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.