How Crain & Co’s David Cone Sparked A Football Firestorm By Tweeting About His Wife’s Dad
David Cone was just trying to stay on his father-in-law’s good side when he ignited a Twitter firestorm between the Crimson Tide and Sooner nations.
Cone, co-host The Daily Wire’s popular sports podcast, Crain & CompanyOn Saturday, Twitter noted that Jalen HUTS, Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback, had just led his team against the New York Giants to victory. This was the first time since Richard Todd that a former Alabama signal-caller has won an NFL playoff match. Todd was a 1976 New York Jets first-round selection. He helped his team win two playoff games in 1982.
“I was only trying to put in a plug for my father-in-law,” Cone, who played quarterback at the University of Michigan before marrying Todd’s daughter, Darbi Lou in 2019.
— David Cone (@davidadamcone) January 24, 2023
The tweet attracted 8.2million views, many passionate comments and even newspaper articles, from Tuscaloosa, to Norman.
The problem with Cone’s innocent observation is that Oklahoma fans consider Hurts theirs. That’s because the current toast of the City of Brotherly Love had an unconventional collegiate career that saw him star as a freshman starter at Alabama and return as Nick Saban’s field general the next year, but then lose the starting job as a junior to Tua Tagovailoa despite a 26-2 record. Hurts, who was already a graduate, transferred to Oklahoma for his senior year. He led the Sooners to College Football Playoffs and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. He was then selected by the Eagles in round two of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Calling Hurts an Alabama product ticked off fans down where the wind goes sweepin’ down the plains.
“Benched and set aside by Bama,” tweeted S. Powers, whose Twitter account features a photo from legendary Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer. “Claimed by Bama. Typical.”
Cone accidentally started the multi-state melee even sports media.
“Alabama Fans Have Launched A Very Odd Campaign Trying To Claim Jalen Hurts After Benching Him And Forcing Him To Transfer,” read a tweet from Barstool Sports.
Cone, who took on critics in one his Crain & Company interviews “Get Off My Lawn” Segments, however, did not back down and stated that players moving to other schools is becoming more common than ever. Schools will also be fighting for which athletes they should adopt.
“I never said Jalen Hurts didn’t play at Oklahoma, or ‘claim’ him as more of a Tide quarterback than a Sooner,” Cone stated. “He had a great season at OU, and got drafted from there. If someone tweeted that Jalen Hurts was the first Oklahoma quarterback to win an NFL playoff game since [former Sooner] Baker Mayfield, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, because it would have been a statement of fact.”
Todd, who had taken 264 sacks during his decade-long career as a pro, seemed content to escape Twitter’s wrath.
“I’m just glad those 8 million people didn’t pile on me,” The former NFL star laughed.
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