Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr wants to get into the Octagon with ESPN’s First Take hosts.
I wish I was making this story up, but I’m not.
Derek Carr, starting quarterback of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, has been one of the easy targets for criticism after the Raiders plunged to a 4-12 record this season, two years removed from a 12-4 mark and a playoff appearance. With the NFL Draft three months away, there is talk that Carr, who signed a 5-year, $125 million contract extension in the 2017 offseason, could be let go.
On ESPN’s First Take, hosted by Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, there was a segment in which Kellerman opined (among other things) that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is ready to move on from Carr and possibly look at drafting Oklahoma star Kyler Murray. Kellerman also seemed to question Carr’s character, hence the “he didn’t want it” remarks.
This made Carr very upset on Twitter. He went as far as to ask the UFC and Dana White if he can fight both of them.
@ufc @danawhite hey how do I challenge a couple of these clowns on tv to a fight? I think we should start a business together. Where pro athletes can challenge some of these people to an octagon fight until they give us an answer…. You don’t know me… stop lying.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019
Yes..say what you want but don’t question somebodies character as a man if you don’t know them. Our job as NFL athletes is to try and leave the game better for the next generations. So let’s start an octagon business to give some accountability to these kinds of people.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019
Smith and Kellerman already responded on Thursday’s edition of First Take, with Stephen A. going the extra mile on Twitter.
Hey @derekcarrqb…..I heard you had a few things to say. Consider this a personal invitation. You are more than welcome to come on @FirstTake or sit down with me for a 1-on-1. I’m here, Bro! Nobody hiding.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 24, 2019
Here’s the question: why is he talking about getting ME in the octagon instead of a UFC fighter, @danawhite. What do I have to do with the sorry-ass season the @Raiders. All I did was observe. But I’ll deal with this on @FirstTake. Yo, @derekcarrqb: Wrong Brother! https://t.co/rcjDxYyGYL
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 24, 2019
Well guess what? If you didn’t think this feud could get any weirder, Bovada actually released betting odds for what they’ve actually filed as “Celebrity Boxing,” and Smith is listed as the slight favorite at -130 to Carr’s -110. I am not joking.
Last tweet on this, I promise: Bovada has set odds for a boxing match between Stephen A. Smith and Derek Carr (even though it should be Kellerman). They made Stephen A. the favorite! pic.twitter.com/RYosTAKPlq
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 24, 2019
As Schneidman points out, the beef really should be with Kellerman, hence we clearly need a new set of odds for Carr vs. Kellerman.
Derek Carr is 27 years old and in the prime years of his career as an NFL athlete. Stephen A. Smith is 51 years old and the height of his athletic career was as a college basketball player before Carr was even born. Kellerman is 45 years old and dropped some bars in the mid-1990s.
This story appears to be over… at least Carr is considering it over.
Now that that’s over… all love moving forward. Work to do.. Squat day pic.twitter.com/WjSIkJGlDe
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 24, 2019
Well if Carr ever gets around to training MMA, the Raiders are expected to move to Las Vegas in 2020, so there are many notable gyms and the UFC Performance Institute where he can prep for hypothetical “Octagon fights” with sports’ most prominent talking heads.