We've been mispronouncing Tyrod Taylor's name for years

Put some respeck on his name: Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor acknowledged most of us have been mispronouncing his name for years. (AP)
Put some respeck on his name: Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor acknowledged most of us have been mispronouncing his name for years. (AP)

The Cleveland Browns are getting a lot of attention this preseason, in part because of the No. 1 pick, quarterback Baker Mayfield, in part because there’s a morbid curiosity for many of us to see if they will improve from their dismal 1-31 showing the past couple of years, and of course in part because they’re this year’s “Hard Knocks” team.

But one of the most prominent members of the team has revealed that the majority of us have been saying his name wrong for years.

Teammate stepped in

For years, pretty much everyone has been pronouncing quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s first name “TIE-rod.”

Turns out, that’s incorrect. His mother calls him Tuh-ROD, and if that’s how mama intended it, that’s how we should be pronouncing it.

But Taylor has gotten used to hearing “TIE-rod” over the years. Apparently, ESPN’s Lee Corso used “TIE-rod” in a production meeting with Taylor when he was at Virginia Tech, and Taylor didn’t correct him. And a mistake was born.

It was Browns tackle Joel Bitonio who set things straight. NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala tweeted that Bitonio told her it’s Tuh-ROD, and she pledged to get it right from now on.

‘That’s a big deal, huh?’

When Taylor met with media Tuesday, the first question he got was on the TIE-rod/Tuh-ROD mix-up.

He laughed. “That’s a big deal, huh?

“[TIE-rod] is definitely what I’ve heard most of my life, but I mean, my mom calls me [Tuh-ROD], but she also doesn’t call me by my first name,” he said.

So what does she call you?

“She calls me by my middle name, Di’allo. She’s only allowed to call me that, so y’all can’t start calling me that,” Taylor said.

Later in the session, when a reporter very carefully said “Tuh-ROD” to start his question, the 29-year-old gave a wide smile.

‘It’s about us getting better’

The Browns, who won their preseason opener against the New York Giants, face the Buffalo Bills this week. Despite going 8-6 in 14 starts with the Bills last season and helping the team break its 17-year playoff drought, Buffalo traded Taylor to Cleveland in March.

He was of course asked about facing Buffalo, but downplayed any revenge factor.

“It was a learning curve for me,” Taylor said of his time with the Bills, where he got his first chance to be an NFL starter after four years as the Ravens‘ backup. “When I walked into Buffalo, a lot of people didn’t really know my name … as I left, I was able to break a 17-year playoff drought. There’s a lot that accomplished in those years, I’m thankful for those opportunities, and I’m also glad for the opportunity that I have here.”

Taylor isn’t thinking about the Bills or how things ended with the franchise.

“This game isn’t about them nor me or our relationship, it’s about us taking another step, getting better. It’s Week 2 of the preseason, you want to see growth at every position and in all phases.”

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