While he may not have been the headliner of Sunday Night Football on NBC, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson had one of the best games of his career. Wilson has been the subject of much criticism since Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury, but the narrative seemed to shift last night. However, NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison received backlash from WFAN hosts Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason for his remarks about the Jets QB.
Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison shared his feelings toward Wilson during the postgame show. During an interview with Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, Harrison interrupted several answers to air his opinions and drew the ire of observers.
“Watching that tape, man, you’ve got to look at this dude and say, ‘Oh, he is garbage. We should really tear him apart’,” Harrison, a 15-year NFL veteran, replied.
WFAN morning co-host Gregg Giannotti acknowledged that he does not have much of a right to contribute to the conversation since he has been hard on Wilson in the past. During the Boomer & Gio, however, he did remark that he was hoping Wilson would succeed and give Jets fans a reason to hope that their season is still alive.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a guy work on a network that’s affiliated with the NFL call a player in the league ‘garbage’ before,” Giannotti said, incredulously.
Giannotti’s co-host, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, acknowledged that many morning debate show personalities, such as Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Richard Sherman, all fit this mold. In his mind, Harrison was essentially giving a hot take and trying to stand out within a crowded media landscape despite being on the postgame show.
“Everybody’s trying to cut through,” Esiason said. “Everybody’s trying to have the hot take, and they use words like that.”
Conversely, Giannotti did not feel that what Harrison said was as much of a hot take as it was a staunch opinion, but it still emitted an affectation of unprofessional conduct on the part of the broadcaster. As the conversation continued, Jones elaborated on why the team felt playing Wilson would be difficult and called him a “special” player.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Harrison said as he cut off Jones. “Did you say Zach Wilson is special? I think he had a special night, but I don’t think he’s special?”
The entire ordeal surprised Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason, and Harrison has since been chided for his actions across social media and on other platforms.
