Latest news with #ClayMatthews
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Clay Matthews Reacts to Travis Kelce's Alleged Comments on Wednesday
Clay Matthews Reacts to Travis Kelce's Alleged Comments on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Travis Kelce entered the NFL in 2013, and while his rookie season was derailed by injury, his mentality and larger-than-life personality haven't changed — from a young player fighting for recognition to now, a future Hall of Famer regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Advertisement But early on, Kelce experienced his fair share of humbling moments — including one that he recently shared on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, involving a heated exchange with Green Bay Packers legend and star linebacker Clay Matthews. 'It was 2014 — one of my first games — and I had maybe 10 catches total in my career up to that point,' Kelce recalled. 'I'm thinking, 'This is Lambeau. This is my moment. People are gonna know me after this.' I see Clay Matthews and I'm like, 'Oh [expletive], that's Clay Matthews.'' Kelce went on to describe a play where he blocked Matthews on the backside of an outside zone run and delivered a hit. Feeling fired up, Kelce talked a little trash — but quickly regretted it. 'He stops, squares up to me, and says, 'Don't [expletive] ever [expletive] talk to me. I'll [expletive] kill you,' or something along the lines... I just stood there — couldn't even say anything after that,' Kelce said with a laugh. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis KelceStephen Lew-Imagn Images On Wednesday, Clay Matthews responded to the video on social media with a hilarious take on how the moment played out more than a decade ago. Advertisement 'Allegedly @tkelce,' Matthews wrote. 'We were BFFs by the end of the game.' Clay Matthews officially retired from the NFL in 2022, though he hadn't played since the 2019 season. Still, he was in the league long enough to witness Travis Kelce's rise firsthand. Matthews' NFL career spanned 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. He finished with 383 solo tackles, 136 assisted tackles, 91.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries, and six interceptions. Most notably, he played a key role in helping the Packers win Super Bowl XLV in 2011 against the Pittsburgh Steelers — two seasons before Kelce entered the league. Advertisement Related: Travis Kelce Sends Clear Message About His Relationship with Taylor Swift This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A Father's Day reflection on life lessons from dads and football
A Father's Day reflection on life lessons from dads and football Happy Father's Day! For many of us, the story of our love of football begins with our fathers. If we're blessed enough, our grandfathers played a role, too. On this Father's Day, I wanted to look back and honor my father's major influence on my football path. I grew up west of Cleveland in a family of Browns fans. My dad has never been a hardcore Browns fan, but he's certainly an emotional one when they're really good or really bad--and they've been both in my football lifetime. He was a farmer, as was his father, and his father's father. That lifestyle didn't leave a lot of time for football watching, but he certainly tried to catch at least some of every game--win or lose. After we moved away from the farming business in the early 1980s, we wound up catching a lot more Browns games, even a handful in person. His passion remains college football. My dad is an Ohio State grad, and to say he's a proud one is a massive understatement. I went to my first game at the Horseshoe just after my 1st birthday. I've been to at least 30 over the years with him. The two-hour drive to Columbus on Saturdays was our father/son time. He'd go over who I should watch as an eager kid who desperately wanted to be the next Art Schlichter. Sometimes it's good when dreams don't come true... Watching my dad watch football helped form how I approach the game. He taught me to watch the linemen, not just the guys with the ball. I learned from him to prefer sitting in the end zone, in order to see all the players on every play. My dad made me an All-22 junkie before I knew how to count to 22. I'm proud to say that's been a useful life skill. I'm actually a Lions fan in part because of my dad (and mom) being Browns fans. We lived close enough to Toledo that I could watch Detroit every Sunday on the black-and-white console TV in our basement. My parents would get up in arms over missed tackles, dropped passes, bad holding penalties, whatever it was in that moment that was driving them crazy over the Browns. I wanted no part of that. Sure, I loved some of the players; Clay Matthews and Doug Dieken were personal faves--and I've had the pleasure to tell each of them that in person. Life was better around the home front and in school on Mondays when the Browns won, so I certainly wanted the hometown team to win. But they weren't "my" team. I relished the relative solace of watching the Lions teams of the "Silver Rush" era, and they were entertaining and competitive enough in that Monte Clark era that becoming a Lions fan was an easy alternate path to take. My dad might've looked at me a little funny when I asked for (and got) a Billy Sims Lions jersey for Christmas in 1981, but he didn't try to change my fate. Sometimes when the Browns disgusted him enough, or were involved in a lopsided affair, my dad would yell down the steps that I could watch the Lions in color on the living room TV. He'd usually watch a little too, happy to see me happy. I've never forgotten that; one of the best life lessons I've learned from my dad is to enjoy and appreciate the happiness in others. In the years I played football, I was always the biggest fan and supporter when my friends and teammates made a big play. Nothing was better than a best bud scoring a TD or blocking a punt. I've had the wonderful fortune to spend a lot of great father/son time with my own son while watching football over the years. His football story is different than mine, and that's what helps make it special. Now almost 20 years old, he came of football age while we lived in Houston as the Texans rose from perennial also-rans to legit contenders in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. They were a fun team with engaging personalities like J.J. Watt, Arian Foster, Owen Daniels and (future Lions standout) Glover Quin, among others. His first NFL jersey was Andre Johnson. He's still a loyal Texans fan even though we moved back to Michigan just ahead of the 2013 season. He's in college now and could very well be the only Houston Texans fan at Michigan Tech. I'm proud of him for staying loyal to his team. I'd love it if he had become a Lions fan, but that isn't how it works. If you don't feel it in your soul and bones, you can't fake it. True fans always know... I learned that from my dad, too. I've learned so much from him over the years. I try to thank him, but he doesn't really grasp that concept. He was just doing what he thought was right and good for me. That's all I ever want to do for my own kids. Like my Lions, and my son's Texans and my dad's Browns, I don't always get it right. It can be painful at times, as a fan and as a man, to deal with the frustration of failing. I've learned to sincerely celebrate the wins, be it the Lions or in life, more than I wallow in the losses. My dad is still good at that as he approaches his 80th birthday. I can only hope my son has learned that, too. Happy Father's Day, and thanks to all you dads who helped make football something special for your kids.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Clay Matthews Predicts Lions Will Win NFC North Again in 2025
The Detroit Lions have dominated the NFC North over the last two seasons. Between 2023 and 2024, the Lions have gone 10-2 against opponents in their division and won a pair of division titles. That success has come despite the NFC North becoming the NFL's toughest division last season. Advertisement The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings both finished with double-digit wins and the Vikings were fighting for the division until Week 18. Now things could get even tougher in 2025. The Vikings and Chicago Bears both made major changes to their offensive lines. The Bears also overhauled their coaching staff, bringing in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their head coach. The Packers are hoping they finally got Jordan Love a true WR1 to throw the ball to. Detroit Lions logo at Ford FieldKirby Lee-Imagn Images Even with how tough the division has become, a longtime Lions rival has predicted that Detroit is going to win the NFC North for a third consecutive year in 2025. Advertisement During a recent appearance on the "Bussin With the Boys" podcast, former Packers All-Pro Clay Matthews predicted the Lions would win their division again next season. I think Detroit. I'm interested to see how buddy from Michigan does for Minnesota. They've obviously got a great team, the Vikings, but Detroit, they've just got that it factor right now until someone dethrones them. The Packers are right there. I think that'll be the best division. The Lions are currently the popular pick to win the North in 2025. DraftKings Sportsbook has set their line at +140 to win the division. They are also the betting favorites in five of their six matchups against divisional opponents. The Lions haven't done much to improve this offseason to maintain the gap between them and the rest of the division, but they should be even better in 2025 than they were in 2024 if they can just stay healthy. Advertisement Still, it's surprising to hear a Packers legend predict that the Lions will be the team to win the NFC North this season. Related: All-Pro Named the Most Talented Lions Player Who Could Still Be Cut This Offseason Related: Five Lions Ranked in Top 25 Best Players Under 25 Years Old
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-Packers star Clay Matthews reveals how he pulled off Donald Trump stunt at NFL Draft
Former Green Bay Packers star Clay Matthews has opened up on his viral Donald Trump stunt at the NFL Draft after aiming a brutal dig at the Chicago Bears. Matthews, who won the Super Bowl during his 10-year stint with the Packers, stole the mic after joining NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Lil Wayne on stage to open the draft in Green Bay last month. In a hilarious moment, the 39-year-old stepped up to the podium to claim he had a message to read from the president himself, only to instead fire shots at his beloved team's arch-rivals. 'I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump. He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, alright?' Matthews began. He then continued while showing the crowd a fake letter: 'It says, 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!' The adoring Packers fans in attendance went wild over the savage four-word jibe aimed at their longtime bitter foes. And a few weeks on, Matthews has revealed how he went about planning the stunt during an appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast. 'I looked at last year's (NFL Draft in Detroit) and it was Calvin Johnson, Barry Sanders, Aiden Hutchinson, Jared Goff, and I thought it was great. You got a mixture of legends and current players and but they all went up there, and they just screamed into the mic,' he said. 'I was just like I don't really just want to get up there and be like Green Bay make some noise so I was like let's make this memorable.' Despite Goodell being 'super cool' about it when they returned backstage, Matthews admits he kept the NFL in the dark about the Trump reference out of fear they would try to shut it down. 'I didn't tell anybody because I knew the NFL wasn't going to approve it,' he added. 'I knew in today's political climate you mentioned one political affiliation, left, right, like it's just not going to go over well with the NFL.' Clay reveald his wife Casey helped him prepare the fake letter with Trump's face photoshopped on it, before he went on stage and executed it perfectly in front of the thousands of fans in attendance and even more watching around the world. 'Execution, delivery, everything was on point, Matthews said. 'I was happy with how it landed the boys all behind me they enjoyed it they had no idea, so they were you know equally as fired up. 'You know anytime you can take a chance to put the Bears down you got to take it.' Matthews himself was the 26th overall pick when he was drafted by Green Bay in 2009. He went on to total 83.5 sacks in his Packers career, making the Pro Bowl six times.
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Ex-NFL star Clay Matthews dishes on hilarious Trump stunt at draft
Green Bay Packers great Clay Matthews pulled a hilarious stunt at the NFL Draft in Green Bay last month. Matthews, 38, was on stage to kick off the draft with other former Packers' stars and superfan Lil' Wayne. He stepped up the microphone and said he had a "message" to deliver from President Donald Trump. "I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump. He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, alright?" Matthews began. "It says, 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!'" Matthews' stunt sent the Green Bay crowd and social media into a frenzy. The idea for the stunt began when he first found out he was going to be on stage. "I looked at last year's (NFL Draft in Detroit) and it was Calvin Johnson, Barry Sanders, Aiden Hutchinson, Jared Goff, and I thought it was great. You got a mixture of legends and current players and but they all went up there, and they just screamed into the mic. I was just like I don't really just want to get up there and be like Green Bay make some noise so I was like let's make this memorable." Matthews said during a recent appearance on "Bussin' With the Boys." The former Packers star certainly made it memorable. Matthews received his wife's blessing to go ahead with the plan, and then she provided some assistance as she photoshopped Trump's letterhead onto the paper. Matthews did not tell the NFL what he was going to do, because he did not think the league would approve it. "I didn't tell anybody because I knew the NFL wasn't going to approve it. I knew in today's political climate you mentioned one political affiliation, left, right, like it's just not going to go over well with the NFL," Matthews said. As Matthews waited for his moment backstage, the nerves set in as no one knew what was about to happen. However, it went smoothly. "Execution, delivery, everything was on point. I was happy with how it landed the boys all behind me they enjoyed it they had no idea, so they were you know equally as fired up you know anytime you can take a chance to put the Bears down you got to take it," Matthews said. While it went smoothly onstage, Matthews was worried about the potential repercussions from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell backstage. "I went backstage I'm like, 'Oh now I got to face I got to face the wrath of Goodell and everybody else," Matthews said. However, the former Packers' great said Goodell was "super cool" about it, and they asked to take a picture of the letter to put on social media. While it went well, Matthews said he would probably never be invited back for the epic stunt. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
