The past year has been a rough one for former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw has struggled with health issues including a cancer diagnosis that has affected him greatly for the past year. During a FOX pregame show earlier this season, Bradshaw was seen struggling for air on camera and mixing up his words. In the following days, concern for the megastar's health circulated on social media and it resulted in Bradshaw releasing a public statement.
Terry Bradshaw (12) calls play against Bengals in 1974 game Harry Homa/Pittsburgh Steelers
During his statement, Bradshaw addressed his health issues, and his battle with depression:
“There’s a part of me that says, how long can you do television,” Bradshaw said. “I am not through, I can tell you that. I live to entertain. Billy Graham said, ‘The minute you retire is the minute you start dying.’ I want to go on stage. What if I die on the FOX pregame show? I’d get the big numbers, right?”“People say it’s so courageous to reveal you have got depression,” Bradshaw continues. “It’s not an act of valor. I’m not overcoming any shame to talk about it, I’m proud of it. To think coming out with depression as a sign of weakness is wrong, it has to represented as an illness, period.”
Last week, Bradshaw did an exclusive interview with The Today Show stating that he's cancer free, but continuing to live like he's dying. But now, Bradshaw is back in the news, and this time it isn't because of his health.
Sunday morning on the FOX pregame show, the crew was talking about the Seattle Seahawks-Arizona Cardinals matchup when fellow analyst, Sean Payton suggested Arizona should run the ball more often with James Conner. Conner had been injured the past few weeks, but is expected to return to the lineup today. The Cardinals and quarterback, Kyler Murray, have struggled losing four games this season while relying mostly on a pass-first offense.
Interrupting Payton, Bradshaw chimed in with his opinion claiming that the Cardinals’ mentality was to “throw, throw, throw.” That's all they want to do.
Then Bradshaw made a reference that is not acceptable amid all of the problems in today's world with mental health. He suggested that Cardinals' head coach, Kliff Kingsbury would commit suicide if he was forced to run the ball five or six times in a row:
“I think if this kid [Kingsbury] ran five or six runs in a row, I think he’d commit suicide or something,” Bradshaw burst out.
"I think if this kid ran five or six runs in a row, I think he'd commit suicide or something." - Terry Bradshaw, really losing the plot 😬 pic.twitter.com/G0y84MeiiY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 6, 2022
If you watch the clip, you can see the look on fellow co-host Michael Strahan's face. It's the 'I can't believe he just said that' look.
Bradshaw obviously was speaking in jest. He doesn't believe that Kingsbury would in fact commit suicide. But speaking of suicide in a joking manner surely will touch a nerve with some folks.
@BSO 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️. So Now We Making Suicide Jokes On The Air Now. 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️. Terry Bradshaw Is Stupid Man. https://t.co/GrH2NVknI2
— Danny Sanders (@buckie_sanders) November 6, 2022
Terry Bradshaw made a suicide joke on air 💀
— Seth ⚡️🔥 (@Fwizix) November 6, 2022
Someone gotta get Terry Bradshaw off of broadcasts
— 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐋 (@rach_elizabethh) November 6, 2022
NOT OK. As a mental health professional and as someone who works directly with people who struggle suicidal thoughts this comment is just WRONG. Apologize for your careless comment @NFL @AZCardinals @K1 @NFLonFOX #terrybradshaw #SuicideAwareness https://t.co/nPGUCjozCs
— Its Me (@thatsnotthept) November 6, 2022
Those were just a few of many comments condemning Bradshaw this afternoon. An apology from FOX Sports, and Bradshaw could be forthcoming if the outrage continues across social media.
