Raiders QB Derek Carr suggests fighting ESPN hosts in UFC octagon

After a television show segment aired critical comments about the Raiders and coach Jon Gruden, quarterback Derek Carr took to Twitter to express frustration and sarcastically challenge the anchors to a UFC-style fight.

ESPN’s “First Take” co-anchor Max Kellerman said in a segment Wednesday morning that Carr “didn’t want it” during the 2018 NFL season, suggesting Carr “took plays off” and proposing the Raiders move on from Carr in hopes to develop a new quarterback, pointing to Heisman winner Kyler Murray.

Though Carr didn’t name names, he tagged the UFC and UFC president Dana White in a tweet “inquiring” about a program where athletes could get in the octagon with television personalities critical of their team or themselves.

@ufc @danawhite hey how do I challenge a couple of these clowns on tv to a fight? I think we should start a business together. Where pro athletes can challenge some of these people to an octagon fight until they give us an answer.... You don’t know me... stop lying.

— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019

When Raiders fans suggested Carr was referring to Kellerman and his morning segment, Carr said he had blocked Kellerman and co-anchor Stephen A. Smith for talking trash about the team. Carr also said Kellerman and Smith are unfamiliar with football and that viewers could benefit from a sit-down between himself and the talk show hosts to prove how little they know.

😂it’s because I blocked them both for talking trash about our team. Those 2 clowns don’t know anything about this game. Would love to actually sit and break down film with these two on tv just to show their viewers how incompetent (lacking qualification) they are about our game.

— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019

Carr continued by tweeting that he didn’t like someone questioning his character and jokingly suggested the fighting business as a way to “give some accountability to these kinds of people.”

Yes..say what you want but don’t question somebodies character as a man if you don’t know them. Our job as NFL athletes is to try and leave the game better for the next generations. So let’s start an octagon business to give some accountability to these kinds of people. 😉😂👊🏼

— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 23, 2019

White has yet to respond to Carr’s “request.”

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Contact Elaine Emerson at eemerson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @E15Emerson on Twitter.