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“The C Word In Australia Is The F Word”: Lane Johnson On His Biggest Learning From Jordan Mailata’s Australian Roots

Reese Patanjo
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Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson

Jordan Mailata is turning heads as one of the few Australians balling out in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive lineman had a standout season this past year, which he capped off with a Super Bowl title. Now, months later, he sat down with his teammate Lane Johnson to discuss one of his biggest culture shocks when he moved to America. 

Mailata had quite the journey to the NFL. As an Australian aspiring to play football, his country tried to push him toward rugby or Australian football. Instead, he trained at the IMG Academy, where the International Pathway Players program for the NFL was being run. After 3 or 4 months, they let him know that he was draft eligible. Then, the Eagles took a chance on him, selecting him in the 7th round, 233rd overall. 

In his first season in 2020, Mailata got to start in 10 games while seeing action in 15 total. Johnson said he hit the ground running, picking things up quickly. “Started off hot year one, too,” Johnson said on Bussin’ With the Boys. 

It’s great that Mailata had a hot start, and he’s continued to build off it ever since. But we all know that playing in the NFL is no joke, and that rookies struggle to adjust right away. So, what did the big Aussie struggle with the most when he initially moved to the big leagues?

Funny enough, Mailata’s struggles came in the form of how he talked to his teammates. Specifically, when it came to cursing. 

“The F word is pretty big in America. But the C word in Australia is the F word. That was probably the biggest change I learned from him,” Johnson shared. 

The boys on the podcast both thought the anecdote was hilarious, and proceeded to imagine what Mailata used to say in his rookie year.

Almost every American knows that the C word is a big no-no to use in public, or ever. It’s viewed as one of the most offensive and vulgar curse words in the book. Mainly due to its historical association with women and its use derogatorily. 

That’s why Mailata said that it was a culture shock for him when he saw everyone’s reaction to him saying the word casually. 

“That was a big shock for me. Coming here and using that word and everyone,” Mailata then acted stunned. “I was like, what did I say wrong? They had to educate me.”

In Australia, the C word is used much more casually. Sometimes it’s even used in an affectionate way. So, it must have been hard for Mailata to initially believe that it was viewed so negatively in the States.

All in all, it’s a funny story for the Aussie to look back on. We all experience some form of culture shock when we go to a different country. Mailata should just be happy that he said the word in a safe space to his teammates and not to a random person in public. Then something really bad could’ve happened. 

About the author

Reese Patanjo

Reese Patanjo

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Reese is an NFL Journalist for The SportsRush. He was a University of Oregon graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in writing and communications. A fan of the NFL since he was young, Reese is a Dallas Cowboys fan at heart. However, his favorite NFL moment was the 54-51 Monday night game between the Rams and Chiefs in 2018. Reese's favorite player changes with time but currently he reps Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb jerseys. When he isn't watching the NFL, you can find Reese engulfed in any of the other major sports. He's a massive MLB fan, go Red Sox. He also loves the NBA and College Basketball. But pretty much any sport, Soccer, NHL, PGA,- you name it, Reese watches.

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