Professional athletes live their lives under a microscope and social media zooms in even further on them. While the interactions can often be cool, anyone with an ISP has the means with which to voice their opinion about how someone else lives their life, shouting their take – no matter how ridiculous – from the virtual rooftops in hopes of going viral.
After Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott posted a photo of himself and Broncos linebacker Von Miller to his Instagram account over the weekend, the trolls weighed in, accusing Elliott of weighing too much. As if the NFL’s leading rusher should be obligated to respond to such nonsense, Elliott on Tuesday posted a 5-second video to Twitter as his reply, silencing his critics.
The washboard abs. The hint of an unamused glare. And the scale, pegging Elliot’s weight at 230, two whole pounds over what he’s listed at on the team’s official website. Oh, and that shrug-of-the-shoulder emoji as the caption, perfectly encapsulating the reaction of most ordinary and sane people.
There have been plenty of NFL players who show up after an offseason looking like they’ve let themselves go a little. But check out the original post from Elliott that caused all the hubbub.
Even with a baggy T-shirt and a maybe-less-than-optimal-camera angle, that’s a guy who clearly hits defensive lines way harder than he hits buffet lines. Still, the pic prompted comments like, “Zeek chubby,” “Looks like they been feeding you too much bruh!” and “Put on some weight eh?”
Monday night saw a seemingly unbothered Elliott hanging with quarterback Dak Prescott at the Dallas Stars game, quite possibly already answering his critics with a little ravenous snacking.
Elliott’s mom, a very entertaining Twitter follow, came to her son’s defense on Tuesday with a bit of common sense about Zeke’s prime playing weight.
Being one of the superstars of America’s Team will always bring an extra measure of scrutiny. There will always be plenty ready to take an NFL player – especially a Dallas Cowboy – down a peg or two. But anyone who honestly thinks Elliott is out of shape should be willing to strap on a helmet and line up across from him when he’s about to get the rock.
Smart money says that group would be significantly smaller than the crowd of comment warriors anonymously launching fat jokes over social media.
You can follow Todd on Twitter @ToddBrock24f7.
