Tyreek Hill earned his nickname “Cheetah” due to his widespread reputation as the fastest man in the league. He can outrun defenders and change games in an instant. He also showed the courage to challenge Usain Bolt to a race, which we are still waiting for. But in one of the few opportunities he had to show off his speed to the world, Hill lost a race to rookie Micah Parsons in a stunning turn of events.
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The incident took place during the 2021 Pro Bowl games. Parsons and Hill were joined by Nick Chubb and Trevon Diggs for the race. Hill appeared to be confident about maintaining his “fastest in the NFL” title. He showed up in a hoodie and didn’t even take the correct starting position for a race. Once the race began, he was casually sprinting and seemed more than okay with finishing fourth.
Parsons, on the other hand, showed up with no shirt on to show how serious he was. He got in a runner’s starting pose and sprinted as fast as he could once the buzzer sounded. He ended up beating all three opponents and snatching the title from Hill as the fastest man in the NFL.
#Cowboys LB Micah Parsons beat Tyreek Hill, Nick Chubb and Trevon Diggs in a “fastest man” race. Rookie was going all-out.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 4, 2022
At the time, it would’ve been nice to see Hill take the event seriously. On a good day, he could have easily pulled away from the pack. But he decided to take it easy, in the spirit of what the Pro Bowl has ultimately become. A weekend of games that hardly anybody watches, followed by a flag football game.
Fans reacted to the clip accordingly. Some were disappointed by Hill’s lack of effort, while others laughed at how seriously Parsons took the event.
Micah took this way to serious
— (@ATLSportStan) February 4, 2022
What a trophy for the cowboys
— JR (@AFC_Elite) February 4, 2022
His team doesn’t win irl let him have this
— (@DotsByDaniels) February 4, 2022
Hill not even trying. . That’s the spirit of the Pro Bowl
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) February 4, 2022
It was clear to everyone that Hill mailed in the challenge. He let Parsons and Co. win and didn’t do much to hide it. It would’ve been nice to see what would’ve happened had Tyreek run properly, though. He might’ve ended up pulling away and winning by a body length or two. Or maybe he would’ve still lost and we could have been even more stunned.
But we’ll never know. While Hill is outwardly confident in his running abilities and continues to challenge world-class sprinters to matches today, like Noah Lyles, we’re yet to see him showcase his full potential. He’s posted videos on his YouTube channel of him beating random citizens in races, but he’s yet to prove he can beat the best of the best. First, he needs to start taking the races more seriously if he wants to best sprinters like Bolt and Lyles.
