Saturday in Athens, Georgia fans flooded the streets to catch a sight of quarterback Stetson Bennett during the team’s championship celebrations, but his actions did not please everyone.
Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back championships, including a 65-7 rout of TCU on Jan. 9, was criticized on Tuesday by Atlanta radio personality Steak Shapiro, who tweeted that the 25-year-old quarterback “needed someone to tell him to get off his damn phone during a parade and to show graciousness and appreciation to the fans who were sitting in that stadium.”
Shapiro stated, “If you want to crush the media you believe were unkind to you, do so at a press conference.”
Bennett was travelling in a car while staring at his phone while a reporter from WSB-TV attempted to speak with him at the parade. This image has been immortalized on social media.
Bennett appeared to criticize the media for prior assessments of Georgia, saying at the platform, “Y’all kept telling us how bad we were,” before adding, “Forget it, we have two rings.”
Bennett responded to Shapiro through Twitter after missing this year’s national championship postgame news conference.
On January 14, 2023, in Athens, Georgia, teammates Sedrick Van Pran and Stetson Bennett ride together during the team’s title parade.
“Cell…?? phone…?? “I’m afraid I’m too old to comprehend the most recent technology,” Bennett wrote in his initial remark before expanding in a subsequent post.
“Full article here- (and I apologize to the fans that felt unappreciated, for it is the furthest thing from the truth. I was merely playing some music.”
Bennett began his speech with “Mr. One of the phones was mine. Bluetooth was connected to one phone. My iPod has playlists. Other had the auxiliaries. I appreciate your concern for my image/intentions/loyalties/obligations, as well as your willingness to reach out to me to confirm them. You’ve obviously given some consideration to the possible motivations I may have had. To assist fill up some gaps, though, may I provide some inside information?
Stetson Bennett, quarterback of the Bulldogs, in Georgia’s championship game versus TCU on January 9, 2023.
“Parades are a symbol of celebration, and although last year’s parade was a celebration of that title, this year’s was a celebration of a very important time (for me! There is, of course, the potential that I am wrong). And while we respect the fans as a team, we appreciate our teammates as individuals. Those individuals for whom we have shattered bones, torn ligaments, bled, cried, changed, grown, and laughed for years.
“To assist you fill in those terrible holes, the squad celebrates with the spectators in a large parade. A teammate celebrates with another teammate in a little personal vehicle. Identify who I am. Teammate, indeed! In order for Chris, Sed, and I to have a great time on our final journey into Sanford, I was controlling the aux and playing bangers. That’s basically the gist of it.”
Bennett closed his message by saying, “P.S. : I dislike you a great deal, Mr. Steak ‘and shake’ Shapiro. To be truthful, I am also not a fan of your work.”
On January 9, 2023, Stetson Bennett celebrates Georgia’s championship victory over TCU.
Shapiro, the host of 92.9 The Game, afterwards stated that while “Saturday could have been better,” he wishes Bennett “nothing but the best in the future.”
“Clearly, number thirteen could not be a bigger fan of you and your accomplishments,” Shapiro wrote.
“I referred to you as the greatest Dawg in history and the protagonist of one of the greatest sports stories of all time. The weekend could have been better, but I wish you nothing but the best moving ahead.”
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