Do not expect FS1’s James Jones to rate Micah Parson’s podcast five stars anytime soon.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Facility, the Super Bowl-winning former wide receiver tore into the Dallas Cowboys star for having Philadelphia Eagles’ cornerback Darius Slay on The Edge with Micah Parsons during the NFL season.
“I hate everything about this. The competitive nature of our game is gone,” Jones said. “Everybody’s worried about the fame, the stardom, all that. Nobody’s worried about the competition no more.
“There’s no rivalries in football no more. Real rivalries. Not on the field, not off the field. There’s no more real rivalries.”
.@89JonesNTAF is no fan of Micah Parsons and Darius Slay doing a podcast together:
“There’s no more rivalries in football.” pic.twitter.com/BbYjBYMI8L
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) October 1, 2024
“I always remember the old school players… saying, ‘Man, we would’ve dogged y’all.’ I’m like, ‘Bruh, shut [up]. What you talking ’bout?’ But they right! They was way more dogs than us!” he continued. “They played way harder, they had way more rivals, they had way more competition.”
“Nowadays man we trying to trade jerseys. The backup quarterbacks is trading jerseys, the starting running backs is trading jerseys, the punters is trading jerseys. There is no rivalries in the league no more. And it starts with this little stuff right here… that’s crazy to me.
“I hate everything about it because the competition and all that in our game to be honest with you… I think it’s going down.”
The only true thing about professional sports is that older athletes will always think the game was better when they were playing.
Indeed, the idea of Cowboys and Eagles players fraternizing during the season was once considered verboten, lest anyone forget The Bounty Bowls.
The Eagles and Cowboys tangle on November 10 in Arlington, Texas, and then again on December 29 in Philly. We’ll see if Parsons and Slay can put their friendship aside for some good, old-fashioned rivalry, or if Jones is right and the true rivalry is already gone.
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.