There weren’t many defenders who could take down Mark Ingram during his storied Alabama football career.
However, the Heisman Trophy winner met his match in Indianapolis on Saturday night when he made the mistake of eating a little too much of St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail Sauce in one go.
Ingram was on hand in Indy for the Big Ten Championship Game between the Michigan Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes. Before the game got underway, the former Bama star decided that he needed to try out the iconic St. Elmo Steak House Shrimp Cocktai that so many sports reporters and media members have fawned over before him.
Alas, either no one warned Ingram about the horseradish kick in that cocktail sauce or he simply thought he knew better. Either way, he learned a valuable lesson very quickly while live on the air.
https://twitter.com/BNKonFOX/status/1731105048745111962
“That’s a bad decision, Mark Ingram. Bad decision,” Big Noon Kickoff host Rob Stone can be heard saying as Ingram takes a big bite. Almost immediately, the heat hits him hard and the college football legend can barely keep his cool.
“I’m breathing smoke out my nose, dawg,” Ingram said to Matt Leinart while the entire panel lost it. “Straight dragon!” While dying laughing, Leinart handed Ingram a water bottle so he could start chugging.
“That horseradish, man,” Ingram added.
The sports media world had a field day with the whole situation, with many media members knowing exactly what Ingram was going through.
He didn’t know https://t.co/XhIDssmmhL
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 3, 2023
This is great! Definitely a different kind of heat than the New Orleans food he's been used to for years. https://t.co/JcXpP5dy1H
— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) December 3, 2023
Of all the great action today, this may have been the best. https://t.co/v1SrlJs6T6
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) December 3, 2023
When you’re a rookie at eating St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail. pic.twitter.com/7SKqKTF7dk
— Wes Reynolds (@WesReynolds1) December 3, 2023
professionals in sports media talk about the St. Elmo's shrimp cocktail pretty much every day https://t.co/Pdbn8IWOI7
— marc tracy (@marcatracy) December 3, 2023
https://twitter.com/MarkWMUN/status/1731105859038560279
The legend of St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail sauce grows larger every day, especially in the world of sports media where it’s taken on Bruce Springsteen levels of appreciation.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.