I knew it wouldn’t take long for ESPN to trot someone on TV that would put their foot in their mouth.
That person happened to be an ex-NFL linebacker, Bart Scott.
It is clear what happened to Damar Hamlin was a freak accident, and I am sure Tee Higgins feels awful about what happened. Nothing that Higgins did was illegal. It occurs 100 times during a game, and trying to break it down in slow motion to find him somewhat at fault is an egregious error by Bart Scott.
Even if what Scott is saying is true, you must read the room and realize this isn’t just something you say while a man is fighting for his life.
There was nowhere to point the finger after Damar Hamlin went down Monday night. It was a freak accident that yielded a horrifying outcome.
Bart Scott apparently didn’t see it that way, however.
While the NFL linebacker-turned-analyst didn’t flat-out blame Tee Higgins for harming Hamlin at Paycor Stadium, Scott did take aim at the Bengals wide receiver, who the Bills safety hit before suffering cardiac arrest.
“Right before the tackle, he (Higgins) lowers his helmet and he kind of throws his body into his (Hamlin’s) chest,” Scott said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “He’s (Hamlin) standing up because he’s thinking he’s got to take Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle. So, he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him. A lot of times you see it as a linebacker. Running back comes through the hole and he knows that contact’s coming, so he lowers his helmet and you can’t get underneath him. He’s able to get into you and your chest is exposed. So they’ve taken that out of the game, but they don’t really regulate it as much as possible. I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.”
Scott has been routinely horrible on TV but keeps getting gigs. ESPN had to post a retraction that nothing Higgins did was illegal. Scott previously wanted a bounty put on Joe Burrow.
As you can imagine, social media is rightfully tearing him apart for being insensitive.
