NFL fans were dismayed and angered at Fox Sports for offensive comments in a post-game interview with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen that were displayed in closed captioning.
Allen spoke with Fox’s Erin Andrews after leading his team to a 31-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks when he was asked about his star rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman.
Buffalo’s wide-receiving corps looked depleted to start the season, but the former Florida State star’s contributions have helped the Bills become one of the best teams in the AFC.
‘That frickin’ guy!’ Allen said, or as Fox captioned it ‘African guy.’
The comment has drawn ire from some in the NFL community with the racial connotation.
‘Oh god it was absolutely terrible. I even took a picture to make sure I wasn’t seeing things,’ one NFL fan said on social media.
‘That’s fox for ya,’ another person stated.
Another NFL fan posted a GIF of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who stars in several Fox cooking shows, putting his head in his hands.
Others tried to joke about Coleman’s race or made ‘Crying Alexander’ jokes in reference to the show South Park.
Coleman finished the game with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Allen threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
Fox Sports has not commented on the closed-captioning blunder, while Coleman and Allen also have not said anything about the interaction.
Allen has spoke admiringly of his wide receivers over the years, with Coleman being no exception, despite what closed captioning says.
Coleman hails from Louisiana and played college football at Michigan State before transferring to Florida State.
