Yesterday we reported on the seemingly heart warming story of new Baltimore legend Joe Flacco portraying former Colts and NFL icon Johnny Unitas in the final scenes of a soon to be released filmed titled “Unitas We Stand.”
Unitas’ son Joe was elated about Flacco being in the film.
“Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me,” Unitas said in a phone interview from his Las Vegas home. “I think it’s great that Joe just won the Super Bowl with the Ravens and was Most Valuable Player in the game. A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. He’s not a rah-rah guy. He throws a touchdown and maybe there’s a little fist pump. He understands his job is all about winning and he does a phenomenal job leading the offense and the team and obviously they’ve developed a lot of trust after becoming a champion. He’s an awesome teammate and great leader of the team.
“He does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Joe and my dad. My production team is very fortunate and thankful that he’s dedicated to help us and play my dad. I know he doesn’t do a lot of things away from the game, and football players’ time off in the offseason is very valuable. For him to take time away and commit to doing this is very humbling.”
Not everyone in the Unitas family is happy about Flacco taking on the role. Unitas’ grandson J.C. is not pleased about Flacco portraying his grandfather, and according to USA Today, he called the choice “embarrassing.”
“If you want a real movie, hire a real actor,” wrote J.C. Unitas on Facebook.
The 24-year-old former Villanova quarterback didn’t stop there.
“My grandfather and his legacy deserves only the best, and this is not it. Has Baltimore forgotten that Trent Dilfer also won a Super Bowl while playing for Baltimore?”
J.C.’s father and Unitas’ other son John Unitas Jr. called Flacco a “goofball.”
“If you want a quarterback, go with Peyton Manning,” John said. “My father was just like that. This is a joke.”
“It is awful. The guy’s a turd,” John Jr. told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. “He never talked to me. He never talked to any of the first five children. He’s a guy that’s just making money off of my father.”