Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky have been in a back-and-forth beef over the past couple of days. But the two met in person on Wednesday to clear the air about their animosity.
This all started when Russo, an occasional cast member of ESPN’s First Take, had some pretty harsh words about Orlovsky’s playing career after Orlovsky showed out at the precision passing event at the Pro Bowl last weekend.
“You were impressed? I could do this!” Russo replied. “This is not that difficult. I can do this. Hand me the ball. I’ll throw the football that far. This is ridiculous. He was a scrub in the NFL. This doesn’t make up for that.”
"He was a scrub in the NFL, this does not make up for that." – Mad Dog with no love for Dan Orlovsky's Pro Bowl performance. pic.twitter.com/FsfjNs3Z8q
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2024
This prompted a response from Orlovky on Twitter/X, calling Russo “classless” for his attack.
May be a HOFer but this is classless
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) February 5, 2024
Russo and Orlovsky met in person to discuss the situation, with Russo saying that his son actually pointed out that Orlovsky was upset by what he said, prompting him to issue an apology.
“I’m here because I want to have an actual conversation,” Russo told Orlovsky. “I didn’t think anything of it. But my son, Colin told me Mr. Orlovsky is not a fan because you tweeted something seven minutes after. So let me make an official apology because it seemed like it bothered you. It struck a nerve.”
Hopefully all is forgiven! @danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/ySOiW0vdc9
— Chris Mad Dog Russo (@MadDogUnleashed) February 7, 2024
Orlovsky appeared to be receptive to the apology, patting Russo on the back as he was speaking.
For Orlovsky, it is certainly not the first time that he has been criticized for his NFL career over the years. So it was likely quite easy for him to brush off the comments from Russo and accept his apology.
[Chris Mad Dog Russo on Twitter/X]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.