Completing 22 of his 32 pass attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns, quarterback Jordan Love enjoyed a standout performance in the Green Bay Packers’ upset victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
Many — including Love, himself — however, were disappointed when Fox failed to present the Packers quarterback with a postgame turkey leg following his MVP-caliber holiday performance.
“You’re looking for a turkey leg, we don’t have one,” Fox’s Erin Andrews told Love during his on-field postgame interview before informing him that Fox would instead be making a charitable donation on his behalf.
While the donation was a nice gesture, many fans were left confused why Fox didn’t have a turkey leg ready for Love, especially on a day that the NFL was honoring John Madden, who started the tradition of presenting the Thanksgiving Day MVP with a drumstick in the late-1980s. Social media sleuths and eagle eyed viewers were quick to recall a segment earlier in the game, in which Fox’s Greg Olsen displayed — and picked apart — Madden’s signature bird, the turducken, for viewers at home.
It didn’t take long for the conspiracy theory to spread: the reason why Love didn’t get his postgame turkey leg was because Olsen had already devoured it.
“Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love’s Special Thanksgiving Moment Was Ruined By Greg Olsen’s Disgusting Actions On Live TV,” read the headline on one Wisconsin sports blog.
“Greg Olsen absolutely destroying the turducken is the reason why Love didn’t get a leg after the win,” someone posted to the Packers’ Reddit page.
The theory became so widespread — and widely accepted — that Olsen took to social media to address it.
“PSA- I did NOT eat Jordan Love Turducken in the box! That was always for the booth!” Olsen posted on X (formerly Twitter), along with a series of emojis including a crying laughing face, a turkey, a duck, and curiously, a rooster. “Great game and Happy Thanksgiving! Now back to my family to enjoy the rest of the game!”
https://twitter.com/gregolsen88/status/1727807564757237871
Fox’s lead analyst later reposted a viral post alleging he was the reason why Love didn’t get his turkey leg, further denying the accusation.
Wrong https://t.co/Gs7K4qS8eD
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) November 24, 2023
While Fox has yet to provide an official reason why Love didn’t get his turkey leg, the best explanation might be that it was never in the plans. While Madden made the postgame turkey leg presentation famous during his time at Fox in the 1990s, the tradition has often been reserved for Thanksgiving’s primetime game in recent years. In fact, following Madden’s departure from the network after the 2001 season, Fox attempted to replace the turkey leg with a litany of souvenirs, including the short-lived “Galloping Gobbler.”
Still, while the postgame turkey leg might not be a recent Fox tradition, the fact that so many viewers were perplexed by the network not having one ready for Love indicates that the network should have been ready to meet the moment — especially on a day honoring Madden. Fortunately for football fans, the CBS broadcast — or at least the Dallas Cowboys — were more prepared, as we later got the now-iconic image of Dak Prescott celebrating his team’s victory with a sideline drumstick.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1727846769302950035
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.