It doesn’t appear that Denzel Washington is one to embrace debate.
That much was made clear as the Academy Award-winning actor enthusiastically slammed the state of sports media during an interview with Sports Illustrated to promote his upcoming film, “Highest 2 Lowest.”
“Everybody’s got an opinion. We live in a world of ‘opinionaires,'” Washington said. “That’s what I call them, ‘opinionaires.’ They’re on all the shows. A bunch of the guys — a couple of ’em that have played, but most of them who haven’t — who have an opinion about what something should be when they haven’t done it.
“Those who can’t talk about those who can. Those who have, know what they’re talking about. Those who haven’t, don’t. Period. Too much talking. Too much talking. Everybody got an opinion. Everybody’s sitting around getting fat, thinking they know how to do it. Just ‘cuz you can sit behind a desk and chit chat doesn’t mean you can do a damn thing.”
Denzel Washington sounded off on sports media talking heads 👀 pic.twitter.com/5LWF0xEyhY
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 13, 2025
Admittedly, Washington’s stance is a strange one from somebody whose ongoing press tour included sitting on the set of First Take, where he opined about the state of his beloved Dallas Cowboys. Nevertheless, his commentary received an endorsement from another sports media skeptic, Kevin Durant, who left a trio of flame emojis on Sports Illustrated‘s Instagram post of the clip.
While Washington didn’t specify who exactly he was taking issue with, his criticism is hardly surprising. Of course, a living legend wouldn’t be a fan of critics, as even he hasn’t been immune to the occasional underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes score.
As for Durant’s endorsement, that was hardly a shock either, as… well… just look at our archives from the better part of the last decade. Ultimately, the idea of “those who can’t talk about those who can” isn’t anything new — it just sounds a lot more profound when Denzel Washington is the one saying it.
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.