Longtime NFL announcer Joe Buck is facing some criticism for what he said about a Dallas Cowboys player on Monday night.
Buck, who’s in his first year as a broadcaster for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” said Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin has a “fantastic story.”
Turpin, 26, comes to the Cowboys from the USFL. He went undrafted out of TCU in 2019 and bounced around various leagues, before finally getting a shot with the Cowboys. Turpin’s electric playing style is fun to watch, especially on returns, where he’s seen as a major weapon.
However, Turpin has a troubled story in his past, as he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in college.
NFL fans have taken to social media to react to Buck’s controversial comment.
“Provocative and interesting discussion point on the responsibility to remind fans that the Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin, who rose from XFL to NFL, also plead guilty to assaulting his girlfriend in 2018,” one fan wrote.
“The moment Joe Buck said this, I suspected that Kavontae Turpin either came from a hellish upbringing or he’d been pinched for something illegal. Domestic abusers have not “overcome adversity”. Parroting that narrative is damaging and pathetic,” one fan added.
The Cowboys beat the Giants on Monday night, improving to 2-1 on the season.