Any self-respecting Jets fan should be able to pronounce their tight end’s last name
C.J. Uzomah has brought his infectious personality to the New York Jets.
He has also carried the long trail of people who mispronounce his last name to East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Folks, Uzomah already got ahead of that. Last season, he graciously informed the Cincinnati media of the correct pronunciation of his last name.
Newsflash: it’s not YEW-ze-mah, Yew-ZOW-mah, or OO-ze-mah. It’s yew-ZAH-mah.
Friendly reminder: It's pronounced yew-ZAH-mah.@cj_uzomah | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/78FiUqNx7y
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 27, 2021
Uzomah. Yew-ZAH-mah. Uzomah.
While no one will care how badly his name has been mangled if he performs for the Jets, some of the mispronunciations grate on the ears.
Uzomah joins Jets tackle Chuma Edoga (ee-DOE-ga, not ee-DOH-ga) as having the most commonly mispronounced last name on this Jets team.
Other recent Jets players with mangled last names include former interior defensive lineman Folurunso Fatukasi, who left in free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and former guard Greg Van Roten (not Rotten!), currently of the Buffalo Bills, whom the Jets cut this offseason.
Uzomah made a statement when training camp broke by wearing a Zach Wilson ‘Person of the Year’ t-shirt. He also gave Wilson a vote of confidence by saying that the Jets QB will make a Year 2 leap like his former quarterback, Joe Burrow.
Meanwhile, at Jets training camp, Tyler Conklin appears to have grabbed the edge over Uzomah in the TE1 battle. Conklin is quickly becoming Zach Wilson’s favorite target.
Still, Uzomah will most likely play a sizable role in Mike LaFleur’s offense, which includes many two-tight end sets.
RIV-ka Board like cheeseboard?
It’s pronounced RIF-ka with the soft ‘i’ sound, as in igloo, rather than the ‘ee’ sound that many people use. And yes, it’s Boord as in a chessboard – not Brood or Broad.
ee-DOE-ga and ee-DOH-ga look the same to me. Is it ee-DOE-ga, or ee-DAH-ga? I say ee-DOE-ga.
You are correct – it’s a long ‘o’ sound. The one I’ve heard most often is with the DOH part pronounced as a non-New Yorker would pronounce ‘dog.’ I can’t really think of a better way to describe it.