ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt has publicly expressed regret for what he describes as a "mean" social media post targeting struggling New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Controversial Tweet
During Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, Van Pelt took to X (formerly Twitter) to brutally dub Wilson 'Mr. Limited' - a savage reference to the famous 'Mr. Unlimited' alter ego the quarterback unveiled back in 2018.
The dig came during Wilson's first substantial minutes since being benched earlier in the season. The 36-year-old veteran replaced 22-year-old rookie Jaxson Dart in the fourth quarter after Dart was taken out with a concussion.
Yet once again the former Super Bowl winner failed to impress when called upon, completing just three of his seven passes for 45 yards as the Giants threw away a 10-point lead in the final four minutes to lose 24-20.
Backlash and Apology
The sportscaster's social media dig quickly backfired, with numerous Wilson fans leaping to his defence and subjecting Van Pelt to abuse on the platform.
On the latest episode of his SVPod podcast with Steve Coughlin, Van Pelt conceded: 'During the Giant game, at the end of it, I sent out a tweet about Russell Wilson, I said, "Mr. Limited." That was mean.'
He continued: 'Don't do sh*t like that. I don't send out snarky tweets. That was small. We shouldn't do that. That's not the way to act. Don't be a d*** on Twitter and that's what that was.'
Van Pelt expressed surprise at the intensity of the response from Wilson's supporters, describing it as 'fascinating to find out there is a Russell hive out there that came for my head' and noting they called him a 'bald b****'.
Wilson's Current Situation
Despite the public criticism, Wilson has expressed no desire to leave the Giants this week after again losing out on the starting quarterback role.
Following the disappointing loss to Chicago that dropped New York to 2-8, coach Brian Daboll was fired the next day. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka took over as interim replacement and made the surprising decision to pick 31-year-old journeyman Jameis Winston as the team's starting quarterback while Dart remains in concussion protocol.
This leaves Wilson as third choice in New York after his poor outing against the Bears.
The ex-Seahawks and Broncos star stated emphatically on Wednesday: 'I love it here; I love my teammates. I want to see it through. I haven't asked for a release or anything like that. I want to be here.'
More than a decade removed from helping Seattle win the Super Bowl, Wilson appears to be at another crossroads in his football career. He turns 37 on November 29 and does not have an NFL contract beyond this season after signing a one-year deal in March.
Nevertheless, Wilson sounds anything but ready to retire, asserting: 'I still want to keep playing football. I know what I'm capable of. I know how great I am. I know what I've done.'
Van Pelt concluded his apology by reflecting: 'Sending out that tweet, that's just small and dumb, and I don't aspire to do small dumb things.' - a sentiment that perhaps both the broadcaster and quarterback can agree upon after a difficult week.
