Golden Tate didn't go to the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night, but he probably should have instead of hanging out at home, watching the show and tweeting about it. Tate drew the ire of legions of NASCAR fans after firing a shot across the bow of Jimmie Johnson. Johnson was nominated for the Best Male Athlete ESPY and Tate disagreed with the idea of a NASCAR driver as an athlete, sharing his opinion with the world on Twitter.
It didn't go well. Here's was sparked the fun, via Jeff Gluck.
@ShowtimeTate: Jimmy johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism
This wasn't going to turn out well at all, and he continued to fan the flames, following up that tweet with many more.
Here's the rest of what Tate said in his rant. These were multiple tweets that I've compiled together into one hand block quote.
I've driven a car on unknown roads at night at 90mph no big deal. No sign of athletism. Guarantee he couldn't in million year play any SPORT. give me 6 months of training and I bet I could compete
After a back and forth with NASCAR fans that included some direct barbs heading both ways, the two sides retreated to their corners. Tate, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to field goal kick the hornet's nest, apologized for his statements, allowing us all to get back to our lives.
Apologies for my offensive comment to NASCAR fans. I actually read up on it and NO I couldn't race a car 150 mph
Next time, it might be a good idea to read up first. And, please, lets not talk about driving 90 on unknown roads at night anymore. I'm sure the Seattle Seahawks front office doesn't want to see that, nor do we, as fans.