After one of his teammates departed the squad in the offseason, Philadelphia Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson didn’t take too kindly to being snubbed.
In a recent podcast episode, former Eagles safety Darius Slay was asked about who could take over as a leader within the defensive secondary.
Slay pointed to Reed Blankenship as a natural successor in the world of pᴀss defense, saying, ‘Reed being around me and a lot of veterans before, I’m sure he could lead that group the right way. That’s who I feel would be leading the group if I ain’t in the building… He’s a great damn leader.’
That rubbed Gardner-Johnson the wrong way – especially considering he’s been in the league longer than Blankenship has.
A ticked-off Gardner-Johnson let his feelings be known on X, formerly Twitter, with a series of posts.
‘You would think feelings would be mutual after a great season but …… aye twin keep that s*** solid,’ he posted alongside a GIF of rapper Kodak Black.
Philadelphia Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson clapped back at a former teammate
Darius Slay, who is set to be cut from the team, suggested that a different player in Philadelphia’s defensive secondary could take over for him as a leader when he leaves
Gardner-Johnson believed that Slay was purposely snubbing him from the discussion
He followed that tweet up with a post saying, ‘This is nothing about our team … TRUST!! We good.’
The next morning, he tweeted once again, saying, ‘Not a crash out just keeping it real.’
Gardner-Johnson also posted some thoughts that were then deleted off his twitter account.
‘Last Vet that replaced me helped yall get to the door in the wildcard round, REMEMBER THAT!!,’ he posted on Thursday.
He also posted, ‘Vet presence is always needed don’t get me wrong! But bro what “Vet” is needed when young guys can hold their own (Q& Coop) [Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean] and you got a crazy duo with Reed and Me?! And the supporting cast ([Kelee] Ringo, Zay [Isaiah Rodgers], Andre Sam, Eli [Ricks], Sydney [Brown], Tristin [McCollum]) stay with the youth u ask me!!’
Slay made a response of his own: ‘We just won a Super Bowl together. I do not have no problem or hate towards bra.
‘Reed is in our leadership council which is [why] I said what I said. I would expect him to be the next guy up. It’s nothing but love on my end if u really kno me.. Yall have a blessed day #WorldChamps.’
Another member of the Eagles, wide receiver AJ Brown, also offered his thoughts on the situation.
Gardner-Johnson went on a celebration tour, calling out Travis Kelce on after winning
He also then mocked Taylor Swift and her fans at the Super Bowl parade in Philadelphia
‘It’s like high school all over again,’ the pᴀss catcher said. ‘This isn’t even my fight to fight. Yall speculate instead of taking what the person just said. Then go on your pages and create articles until the national media catches it. yall always be blaming the media and it’s really yall.’
Slay was designated as a post-June 1 cut by the Eagles – essentially allowing him to start looking for a new team, but not officially letting him go until June to make the cap situation easier.
Gardner-Johnson generated plenty of noise off the field both during the run up to the Super Bowl and after the Eagles won.
After winning the game, he shared a picture of himself staring down Travis Kelce during the contest with the caption, ‘Should’ve Stayed with that thick s****’, which is believed to be a reference to Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole.
He addressed those comments by saying, ‘When it comes to black queens, you just don’t play with them.’
That led to a stunning response from his ex-girlfriend, Summer Bunni, who accused him of threatening his own children because he was mad at her.
She wrote on her story: ‘Yall letting that man hold that trophy ask him to hold his kids fr that’s not Super Bowl material.’
Gardner-Johnson was also seen at the Eagles Super Bowl parade wearing a sweatshirt that said, ‘Swifties can LIX my balls’ – a reference to Super Bowl LIX.
