Deion Sanders appears to mistake All-Pro S Kevin Byard for a 'fan' on Twitter
Does NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders know who Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard is?
Before today, it’s a question we would have undoubtedly answered with “yes.” After seeing what unfolded Tuesday on Twitter, that yes isn’t so certain any longer.
We’ll start at the beginning of this story, which begins when the NFL Network tweeted a graphic that said Sanders believed new Houston Texans player Tyrann Mathieu was the best safety in the game.
.@DeionSanders is a big fan of the @HoustonTexans‘ latest DB addition
: 21st & Prime pic.twitter.com/yodMhTJ9hF
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 20, 2018
Byard, who was named first-team All-Pro in 2017, responded to the graphic with a logical question that was probably a bit in jest. He and Harrison Smith were named as the safeties to the Associated Press team.
How do you make this statement and not include the two first team AP All Pro safeties?? @DeionSanders #INeedAnswers https://t.co/HzRaV3h85g
— Kevin Byard (@KB31_Era) March 20, 2018
And here’s where things get a little weird. Instead of justifying why he had Mathieu ahead of Byard, Smith and every other safety in the league in his hypothetical rankings, Sanders decided he needed to flaunt his irrepressible ego.
You're looking at who writers tell u who's the best I know who players and former players feel is the best. I rest my case. You continue to be a fan and i will continue being the man. #Truth https://t.co/gnpwJHjxEK
— Deion Sanders (@DeionSanders) March 20, 2018
Maybe Sanders is referring to Byard being a fan of his, though that doesn’t make sense given the context of Byard’s reply and Deion’s line of “who players and former players feel is the best.” Discounting a fan’s opinion is one thing, discounting an All-Pro’s is another, even if it’s an opinion about himself.
Giving Sanders the benefit of the doubt on this one isn’t easy, especially considerING Byard’s prominence as one of the best defensive players in the league last season.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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