J.J. Watt Hurt Andy Dalton’s Feeling in the Weakest Football Beef of All Time

Here comes the wambulance.

J.J. Watt is an all-world defensive end for the Houston Texans. He’s also an entertainer, a position he acknowledges by, in his words, putting on “a show.” So after his Texans upset the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, Watt used his on-field post-game interview to deliver a pre-planned joke at the expense of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

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Some context: Dalton, who has red hair, is nicknamed “Red Rifle.” So yeah, it’s obviously a lame joke with all the cleverness of a second grade class clown. But we wouldn’t even be writing about it if Dalton hadn’t responded like Watt had implied all redheads are secretly members of ISIS. 

Holy Moses, that’s one sensitive ginger.

As if the “think of the kids” sanctimony wasn’t enough, Dalton expresses disappointment and questions Watt’s integrity. That’s a hell of an overreaction.

Those defending Dalton have suggested that his emotions were raw after a tough loss and that Watt came across as a childish bully. Maybe. But Dalton could have easily come out on the winning side of this war of words if he’d called out Watt not for being mean, but for cooking up a jab so tired that not even Michael Scott would have used it.

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