BEEF! Like a cattle farm, the NFL is a breeding ground for it. Here are 10 of the craziest beefs in NFL history.
James Harrison vs Roger Goodell
We all hate a bad boss and James Harrison is no exception. Harrison took this to the extreme with public outcry over his $150,000 fines due to illegal hits. Our 17-year commish spearheaded a safety initiative in the late 2010s that did not fit into Harrion’s defensive play style. Change is hard and the NFL’s safety measure never sat well with the Steelers great.
He went on to say “If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it.” The lack of empathy proves this linebacker’s hatred created more beef than a triple cheeseburger. Goodell stayed on the path of political correctness and evaded too much backlash. One sided? You decide.
Andre Johnson vs Cortland Finnegan
Hating a villain is a pleasure we all love. Cortland Finnegan fit the role perfectly. His ten-year career solidified his skill set to lock players down. The reason for it was not always due to play though. After enough poking, prodding and harassment Andre Johnson had enough.
Finnegan was so dirty that mud itself would be ashamed. Johnson, fed up and wanting to defend his receiver brethren, ripped his helmet off then threw him to the ground to go full Mike Tyson on his face. Pass catchers around the league rejoiced and allegedly threw in to help pay for Johnson’s $25,000 fine. When a committee of people buys in to support such on-field violence – it shows the knuckle sandwich to the face was validated.
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Michael Crabtree vs Richard Sherman
Handshakes go a long way. Turning away from one goes farther. When Sherman went to shake the 49ers 2009 first-round pick’s hand at a charity softball game the latter decided against it. Bickering ensued then fast forward to when they were nose-to-nose in the NFC Championship with serious implications on the line. A solid tip drill INT led to a Seahawks win in the final moments.
Surely Crabtree accepts this and takes the high road? Nope. He decided against it to enjoy the scenery of the locker room. Crabtree carries a career of underperformance along with substantial beef for corners who shut him down. Surely he will learn his lesson and become friends with his foes. Or did he…
Odell Beckham Jr. Vs Josh Norman
Here we find the one-catch extraordinaire vs Derrick Henry’s favorite stiff arm recipient. A fifth-round pick, Norman overdelivered and became a shutdown for multiple years in the league. Norman brought a bat to their first meeting simply to trigger OBJ. The entire game they locked up like two UFC foes. Things came to a boil when OBJ sprinted 15 yards out to hit a defenseless Norman. Five personal fouls and a suspension ensued.
Viewers thought we would get more when the Giants rival Redskins signed him. Outside of a few jabs on social media it never became popcorn-worthy. Norman did go on to say he was proud of what happened so people could see who OBJ really is and was not the “good guy” everyone thought.
Michael Crabtree vs Aqib Talib
Talib took moving the chains a bit too literally. He enjoyed nothing more than five-finger discounting Crabtree’s necklaces and that is what he did when they played each other. The CB went on to say he would rip off any chain seen around the WR’s neck. On-air smack talk went back and forth until they met again the next year.
Round 2, Talib became another necklace richer. Crabtree did not take this incident so nonchalantly. They went at it on the sidelines where both benches came to aid their teammates. After being broken up Crab went after Talib (while his helmet was still on – always hysterical when players punch another helmet) and a few more jabs were thrown. With a helmet (a device specifically to protect a player’s head) still on.
Vontez Burfict vs Le’Veon Bell
A dirty tackle from Burfict was a Sunday staple in the mid-2010s. If there was not a flag thrown from one of his dirty hits it was rare. Vontez’s beef list is headlined by Le’Veon Bell. A tackle ended his season and the two still are not over it.
Recently Bell challenged Burfict to a boxing match but rejected it. Burfict countered with a charity golf tournament hoping to change the narrative. Bell laughed out loud. With Burfict’s violent tackle style, one would think he would embrace a battle in the ring.
Brett Favre vs Aaron Rodgers
The history of this feud is well known but many discount the circumstance that landed Rodgers in Green Bay in the first place. Rodgers coming out of UCLA looked to be an early-round pick in 2005. Instead, Rodgers found himself slipping to pick 24 while looking like a goon live at the draft. The Packers were not looking for a replacement but with value slipping that late they pulled the trigger.
Favre did not like a young QB infringing on his HOF Packers career. He held firm the stance that it was not his job to mentor Rodgers. The pettiness led to pranks from Favre with Rodgers insulting him about his age/wonderlic score. The relationship stayed hostile until Favre became a Viking.
The irony of this beef is the Packers recreated the exact same situation in the 2020 draft by taking Jordan Love at pick 26. Rodgers used this to become MVP in 20 and 21 so clearly Pack brass knows what they are doing.
Myles Garrett vs Mason Rudolph
Helmets protect players but double as a blunt weapon when ripped off a player’s head. That is what Garrett did to the Steelers backup QB in one of the most shocking on-field acts of violence in league history. What goes undiscussed is the play prior. Rudolph tried to do the same thing to Garrett with no success. Each team was fined $250,000 and 33 players were fined anywhere from $3,507 – $50,000. Garrett was hit with a $45,000 fine.
This beef got juicier when Garrett claimed Rudolph used a racial slur on him in the play before. No proof emerged. So much so that even Brown teammates Baker Mayfield and Sheldon Richardson spoke publicly about not hearing anything of that nature. The more this fight ages one can ask really who’s fault is it? Say what you may about them both but it is never acceptable to use a helmet on another man’s skull.
Mike Ditka vs Buddy Ryan
Saturday Night Live’s favorite Bear’s coach worked with management to keep Buddy Ryan on in 1978 as defensive coordinator. Both were brilliant, innovative and experienced NFL coaches. That did not mean they liked each other. Practices were intense and Ryan did everything he could to beat down on the offensive. Intensity at its finest: this beef bred the 85 Bears defense which is considered one of the best in history. A toxic work & hatred actually worked for once.
The night BEFORE they won the 85 Super Bowl Ryan told Ditka he would be taking over as the Eagles head coach. Thicken up that beef! The only problem is Ditka beat Ryan’s team literally every time they faced each other after that. Ryan loved complimenting the Bears’ defense at each loss and never credited Ditka. Beef is better when the matchups are fair but Ditka used Ryan as a rag doll at each meeting.
Jalen Ramsey vs Golden Tate
Our number one beef leads to a storyline Game of Thrones would be proud of. Friends, family and children are a touchy subject and it does not get any better than these two. Call TMZ because this drama is right up their alley.
Everyone knows of Ramsey’s reputation. He talks trash. He gets under people’s skin. Entering the league he was the boyfriend of Golden Tate’s sister.. If that is not bad enough, he then went on to have two children with her and ended the relationship while she was pregnant. Just as you think Ramsey could not be any less cool, he left her for a Las Vegas “dancer.” The NFL of course paired Tate’s Giants vs Ramsey’s Rams.
At the end of the game, Tate gave Ramsey the business and created a huge on-field brawl between both teams. No matter how much you hate your family, there is no way your gatherings have intensity like this.
