Deebo Samuel has always been a force in the NFL and one of the best wide receivers in the league. His blazing speed and footwork have impressed many. But… what not many are impressed by is his physique. Many fans have consistently fat-shamed the wideout. And that banter recently crossed the line into borderline embarrassment when NFL legend Terrell Owens made fun of Deebo’s weight on video.
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Even Deebo admitted that he played above his listed weight during the 2024 season. Reportedly, he weighed as much as 225 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than his official listing. He even said he believed the extra weight impacted his performance during a down 2024 campaign. But now, with the Washington Commanders, Deebo is looking to get back to his old form, and his old playing shape.
In light of a minicamp video that went viral showing Deebo running somewhat slowly, fans have leaned fully into the idea that he’s still overweight. And when a fan approached NFL legend Terrell Owens about the ordeal, expecting words of kindness, TO had this to say:
“He is fat. What do you mean?… He about two chicken nuggets from tipping the scale. Hey, Deebo’s my guy, though. I love Deebo,” Owens told a fan.
Even if the former wideout was just joking, it was a pretty harsh thing to say. Fat-shaming is increasingly frowned upon as the years go by, but TO showed he’s not afraid to poke fun at someone’s weight, even a friend’s.
When NFL veteran Terron Armstead saw the comments, he wasn’t pleased. He said he’s tired of retired players taking shots at active ones.
“I respect players. I’m never going to be one of them guys and just be taking shots at players. If we gonna talk football, let’s talk football,” Armstead said on Nightcap.
Additionally, the former Miami Dolphin urged the legend to focus on the game rather than Deebo’s physique.
“I don’t like it bro. I be against when the retired player, even the legends, like when we’re talking about a player, let’s focus on the game. Let’s focus on the technique. Don’t just be throwing shots at a player for no reason,” he added.
Armstead knows a thing or two about playing alongside teammates who’ve had to endure constant media criticism. For the past three years, he played with Tua Tagovailoa, who faced plenty of questions about his skill and health. Through it all, Armstead watched his quarterback push through the tough times.
It’s something he made sure to highlight during his explanation. “Tua was getting a lot of that, a lot of shots being thrown at him,” he said.
Despite the shots, Tua came back and looked like his usual self down the stretch last season. Concussions have undoubtedly been a major hurdle in his career, and many fans even called for him to retire due to how many he sustained in such a short time. But he defied expectations and returned.
When Tua was brought up, Armstead’s co-host, Mark Ingram, got a little upset too.
“People think it’s sweet just to be talking out the side of their necks. And like, you really can get beat up in real life. People be talking crazy. They think that sh*t is sweet, it’s really sour,” Ingram said.
It’s true. When Tua gets a concussion, suddenly every NFL fan and analyst becomes a brain expert. He gets a lot of unfair criticism tossed his way, despite continually recovering from injuries.
That type of criticism clearly annoys Armstead and Ingram, which is why they felt the need to stand up for Deebo. Here’s an NFL legend acting like he knows everything about the wideout and his weight based on one viral video. Yet Owens didn’t say a word about how Deebo looked making the play on the field. And that’s unfair.
Maybe TO has a good enough relationship with Deebo to say something like that. But regardless, it came off as harsh and insensitive to the situation. Credit to Armstead for standing up for him.
