Shannon Sharpe wants Trevon Diggs to “toughen up.”
After another tough loss for the Dallas Cowboys, the star cornerback confronted a reporter over a social media post questioning his execution as the Cowboys allowed a touchdown pass.
The reporter in question, Mike Leslie of WFAA, challenged Diggs for not hustling to make a tackle as San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle sprinted for a long score. Outside the locker room postgame, Diggs told Leslie to “stop playing” and pushed back on Leslie blaming the play on him.
While the confrontation lasted just a short while and ended peacefully, fans online ripped Diggs for the move.
Sharpe added to the criticism of Diggs in a rant on his Nightcap podcast late Sunday.
“How did Trevon get his phone so quick? He’s going to straight to IG, he’s going straight to social media, to see what’s being said,” Sharpe said. “Sports guys, y’all got to toughen up. Y’all gotta let people do their job.”
Sharpe saw nothing wrong with Leslie’s post on X or the way he handled himself talking with Diggs.
Instead, Sharpe found it ridiculous that Diggs would immediately jump online after a tough national TV loss. While Diggs was incredulous that Leslie would blame Kittle’s touchdown on him, somehow Diggs ended up deflecting the team’s failures onto Leslie.
That doesn’t fly with many athletes, and Sharpe made the case that it was also generational.
“They don’t care nothing about no winning. They care about clicks, they care about getting the bag. And they’re getting the bag without having to win,” Sharpe said of young NFL stars. “It drives me crazy. He got mad because he’s loafing … that’s like if I steal something, (and say), ‘man you ain’t have to arrest me.’ The man’s doing his job!'”
The 56-year-old Shannon Sharpe may seem predictable ripping the new generation. But he is at least being specific about his problem, which is athletes caring too much about social media and not holding themselves accountable.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.