Super Bowl champion and current FOX Sports analyst Mark Schlereth has refused to cease virtual fire at accounts supporting the New York Jets.
Mark Schlereth has declared war on New York Jets fans in 280 characters or less.
The former Denver Broncos blocker and current FOX Sports football analyst has spent the past six days engaging Jets-supporting Twitter accounts in a virtual war of words. One look at Shchlereth’s account hints that no Jets fan’s entrance into his mentions has gone unpunished.
The three-time Super Bowl champion has continued to dispense jabs in both a tongue-in-cheek and more direct nature.
You actually have to win something before you people even think about you https://t.co/5C7DHPJlMZ
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) April 15, 2021
Schlereth has only paused his ranting to acknowledge reactions in favor of his antics, whose humor has in fact been acknowledged by some fans of the Jets themselves.
Schlereth’s war began last Friday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He fired the verbal shot heard around the green world while speaking with McAfee and co-host A.J. Hawk about the upcoming NFL draft. The Jets are slated to choose a quarterback with the second pick in the first round, a pick many expect to be BYU’s Zach Wilson.
“Here’s the thing about the draft that fascinates me: (it’s) that we act as though every guy that plays quarterback is going to come fix our franchise,” Schlereth told the former NFL punter and linebacker. “If it didn’t work with Sam Darnold, why do you think you can put him in that same situation, or another quarterback in that same situation, and have it work this time?
“I think there are literally four quarterbacks that cover warts. The rest of the quarterbacks expose them. So, you’re selling this bill of goods to your fanbase that’s absolute garbage,” Schlereth continued. “Now we’re going to fix it because now we got Zach Wilson. Then, three years from now, now we’re gonna fix it because we’ll take the next guy that’s hotter than wolf piss. It just doesn’t work that way. Fill a football team. Don’t just draft quarterback after quarterback.”
Play: 👉 the Jet X Offseason Simulator
Jets fans understandably took offense to Schlereth’s claims.
Two days after his initial appearance on McAfee’s show, Schlereth, clad in a Broncos helmet, pretended to apologize to the fanbase before revealing his headgear will only irritate Jets fans further. He claims the helmet was worn in the 1998-99 AFC Championship against New York, which saw Denver score 23 unanswered points to erase a 10-0 deficit en route to Super Bowl 33.
Schlereth then went on to count off his three championship rings in front of Jets fans … the one earned through the victory is strategically placed on his middle finger.
Logging off good people that goes for you too Jets fans. Gonna watch a movie with Mrs S. It’s a older movie named Misery…never seen it but I assume it’s a movie about being a Jets fan! Good night!
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) April 15, 2021
Schlereth released yet another faux apology video on Wednesday, claiming he was “being the bigger person once again”. In that video, Schlereth claims to understand the plight of Jets fans before revealing his true colors once again.
“You guys don’t know how to talk smack, because you’ve never won anything,” Schlereth said before facetiously advising Jets fans on how to trash talk through “rules of engagement.”
Me being the bigger person once again. https://t.co/nSf31sAA8v
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) April 15, 2021
Schlereth, 55, played 12 seasons in the NFL, reaching a pair of Pro Bowls and winning three titles (two in Denver, one in Washington). In addition to his FOX Sports duties, he also serves as an on-air host on KKFN in Denver.
As an analyst for FOX’s Sunday NFL coverage, there’s a chance that Schlereth could descend upon MetLife Stadium as fans make their presumed return to the seats. A not-so-friendly New York welcome would likely await him.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
