Todd Olszewski / Getty ImagesLamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens throws the ball during the fourth quarter of the AFC divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 11, 2020, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Todd Olszewski / Getty Images)
President Donald Trump exchanged some kind words Saturday with Baltimore Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
It all started when Jackson retweeted a clip from the 2018 NFL draft in which his former teammate at Louisville, cornerback Jaire Alexander, had an ecstatic response upon finding out that Jackson had been chosen by the Ravens with the last pick in the first round.
Alexander, for his part, was chosen by the Packers with the 18th pick in the first round.
🤞🏾🤞🏾Brodie @JaireAlexander https://t.co/GFgdRXANAw
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 18, 2020
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The clip soon caught the attention of the president, who retweeted it.
“Really nice to see this and, what a great pick!” the president wrote.
Really nice to see this and, what a great pick! https://t.co/91104h0sd1
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2020
Do you think Lamar Jackson is the best quarterback in the NFL?
It was indeed a “great pick.”
After an up-and-down rookie season, Jackson came into his own in 2019, throwing for 3,127 yards with 36 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions. He added 1,206 yards with seven scores on the ground, and was named league MVP following the conclusion of the regular season.
Jackson soon responded to the president’s praise.
“Truzz Trump,” he wrote.
Truzz Trump https://t.co/gy9LQO6nSA
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 18, 2020
Jackson’s use of the word “Truzz” was not random. The quarterback has a tattoo of the word on his chest, which he got after the term “Big Truss” became a catchphrase for his team last season.
“I really can’t explain it,” Jackson told the Ravens team site last year, referring to the term. “‘I’m agreeing with you.’ Truss, except with a ‘t’ at the end, it’s an ‘s.’ Like ‘Truss. I’m with you.’”
According to Ravens.com: “Jackson said a bunch of people where he’s from say it. He didn’t come up with it, doesn’t know who did, but it’s just part of his regular vocabulary. Now he’s brought it to Baltimore.”
CBS Sports reported that Jackson has filed a trademark for the word “Truzz” because someone in Nevada already owns the rights to “Truss.”
Trump, meanwhile, has had an at-times turbulent relationship with the NFL, particularly after some players opted to kneel during the pregame playing of the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
…our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now. He is fired,’” Trump said during an Alabama rally in September 2017, according to The Hill.
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