Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin woke up on the wrong side of bed after learning the day before that Noah Lyles had won the men’s 100-meter final at the Olympics.
The NFL player didn’t hold back when he learned that Lyles had beaten Jamaican Kishane Thompson by five thousandths (0.005) of a second to win gold in Paris on Sunday.
“Noah Lyles is my least favorite American. Good morning,” Franklin posted on X Monday morning.
It is unclear whether the 28-year-old has a problem with Lyles, 27.
But the sprinter infuriated American basketball players last year when he said at a press conference in August that NBA players who boasted of a “world championship” had in fact never beaten teams from other parts of the world and therefore could not calm down “the best of the best.”
Noah Lyles may have won the men’s 100 meters final on Sunday, but his victory was not celebrated by everyone…
Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, who is ranked among the NFL’s top 100 players, lunged at Lyles on X
“World champion of what? The United States?” Lyles suggested. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the U.S., sometimes. But that’s not the world… there are no flags in the NBA.”
NBA stars who are now on Team USA’s basketball team, such as Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo, responded by criticizing Lyles on social media.
The tension between Lyles and American basketball stars created an awkward atmosphere among American athletes in Paris, as several NBA players were on hand at the Stade de France on Sunday to watch Lyles race.
Knicks guard Josh Hart also watched Lyles narrowly finish first and acknowledged that the sprinter had proven his critics, including himself, wrong.
“Lol no he’s an olympic gold medalist he can talk his whole life,” the 29-year-old wrote on X, adding a laughing emoji.
Lyles narrowly defeated Jamaican Kishane Thompson to win his first ever Olympic gold medal
Franklin played 16 games for the Colts in 2023 before signing a three-year extension in March
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Meanwhile, Franklin started 16 games for the Colts in 2023, recording 179 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections in his sixth season in Indy.
He is in just his second season as a regular starter for the Colts.
Franklin agreed to a three-year, $31.3 million contract extension in March.
Additionally, he is ranked 100th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
