When you think about sports talk or debate shows that have the potential to go off the rails, the normally mild-mannered Get Up doesn’t come to mind. Led by Mike Greenberg and a cast of thousands at ESPN, it’s usually the calmer alternative to the fireworks that often happen later in the morning on First Take. But that wasn’t the case as the show debated the end of the Russell Wilson era in Denver on Tuesday morning.
The Broncos cut ties with Wilson after one of the worst trades in NFL history and sending him packing with a cap hit roughly equal to the value of winning the Powerball lottery. The much hyped marriage between Russell Wilson and Sean Payton ended in disaster and naturally, the people who cover the sport are trying to find someone to blame.
As Greenberg discussed the situation with Chris Canty and Jeremy Fowler in studio, with Booger McFarland and Robert Griffin III via satellite, things got a little heated.
Canty and Fowler disagreed with Greenberg for failing to place any of the blame on Wilson for his own struggles with the Broncos. And then Booger kicked it up another couple notches.
“You and I have been doing this for a long time and never before have I heard you make excuses for a player like you just did with Russell Wilson,” McFarland said. “At some point the player has to step on the field and play, Greeny!”
“At some point, Russell Wilson stepped between those white lines and his play wasn’t to the level that the Broncos said, and Sean Payton said, that I can win with so we’re going to take on $85 million worth of dead cap. If Russell Wilson is not the majority of responsibility, then who is?!? He’s the guy who’s playing! He’s the one who’s throwing the football!”
After Mike Greenberg says that the Broncos should have known what they were getting themselves into with Russell Wilson, Booger McFarland fires back.
"You and I have been doing this for a long time and never before have I heard you make excuses for a player like you just did… pic.twitter.com/6E3tN13LGQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 5, 2024
During McFarland’s passionate take, RGIII could be seen shaking his head on the screen. When it was his turn, he defended Greeny’s take and put the majority of the blame on the Broncos for failing to properly build a winning team and organization around the former Super Bowl winner.
Hilariously, Griffin got his wires crossed when he tried to self-censor himself on the Tuesday morning airwaves. When he went to use a “make chicken salad out of chicken $***” reference about the situation, he amazingly decided to drop “salad” instead of “$***.” But the conversation was too intense at that point for anybody to even notice.
RG3 dropping S-bombs on ESPN airwaves at 9:15 a.m. while discussing Russell Wilson.
"When you bring in a quarterback of that caliber and you cater it to him, you have to fully cater it to him. Not put him in an offense with a first-time head coach, a first-time playcaller, a… pic.twitter.com/FJ6i8UWwhe
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 5, 2024
Earlier this offseason the show joked that Wilson could even end up joining the Get Up set as an NFL analyst. After this discussion got out of control, maybe it’d be safest for Russ to look for another NFL job.