OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 24: Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King during pre-game introductions at an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 24, 2016, at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The Raiders won 33-25. (Photo by Daniel Gluskoter/Icon Sportswire)
I’ve been one of Marquette King’s biggest fans. While some have been annoyed by the flamboyant punter’s act, I for one have been entertained by it and cheered it on. But even more quickly than I became a huge Marquette King fan, I have lost interesting in being a Marquette King fan.
When Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr broke his lag on Christmas Eve, many in Raider Nation were understandably distressed. While some wanted to hold out hope that the team could endure, most felt like there was no way the team would go far without their signal caller. As it turns out, the doubters were right.
But don’t tell that to Marquette King, who basically said anyone who doubted the team would go far without Derek Carr was not a real Raiders fan:
The real band wagoners are the ones questioning our season right now. Stfu!
— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) December 25, 2020
Marquette King’s assertion that fans who were being realistic were band wagoners did not sit well with many in Raider Nation. As history has now proven, those fans were correct in their pessimism and that doesn’t make them fake fans.
Now, King, who has quickly become a fan favorite, seems to have taken another step towards offending the fans he has gained with his swagger.
While covering the Pro Bowl (King was an alternate but did not get called up for the game), King took a picture with rival Aqib Talib. And I’m sure as you all recall, Talib is the one who ripped Michael Crabtree’s chain off during the final game of the season, an event many Raiders fans still feel offended by.
But King, a guy who called Raiders fans fake for being concerned over losing Derek Carr, apparently has no problem with taking pictures that make a joke out of an incident that not many see as a joke, Michael Crabtree included:
— AqibTalib21 (@AqibTalib21) January 30, 2021
While I know that many fans take on the field rivalries more seriously than the players do, I have a hard time believing that Crabtree was very happy about this photo. Unlike the playful banter between King and Travis Kelce, the rivalry between Crabtree and Talib was much more serious. Crabtree referred to the incident as “childish” and questioned how “hard” Talib really is.
I was one of the fans who was inching ever so close to buying a Marquette King jersey, but those days have long since passed. I was one of the many who rightfully questioned the hope for a playoff run after Carr’s injury, was offended by the idea of being called a bandwagon fan. After all, I’ve been following the Raiders for far longer than King has been playing for them.
One of the things that made King a fan favorite was how he joked and interacted with people on Twitter. It made him seem like just another normal guy, one that you could imagine yourself getting a beer with. But being called a bandwagon fan really kills that “man of the people vibe” for me.
And for many, the picture King took with Talib was another step away from what made King a fan favorite.
I’m not one to think that football players need to fight. I don’t even care if Raiders players were seen talking to or joking with Talib. It’s that King posed for a picture re-enacting an event where Talib intentionally insulted Michael Crabtree. For this fan, the desire to be entertaining on social media was taken a step too far.
Oh well. At least I saved a bunch of money on a jersey.
UPDATE:
There are some rumors flying around Twitter that a few Raiders players, including Michael Crabtree, have unfollowed Marquette King on social media. While I was not able to find anything confirming that, in my search I did come across someone else who is close to the Raiders weighing in on the situation:
@AqibTalib21 ….. wow.
— Darren Carr (@DCarr75) January 30, 2021
So for what it’s worth, it does not appear that Darren Carr, Derek Carr’s brother, was too entertained by the picture either.
If you have any screen shots or proof that Michael Crabtree unfollowed Marquette King, please share it with us either in the comments below or on Twitter: @RaidersReporter or @BlackHoleBanter.
UPDATE TWO:
While I have not been able to find anything showing that Raiders have stopped following Marquette King on social media, I was able to find something better. It appears that Bruce Irvin commented on an Instagram post showing the chain snatching pose and he didn’t seem too happy about it:
There goes the argument many are having on Twitter that King’s decision to take that picture only matters to fans and not players…
And yes, I did check, that is Bruce Irvin’s verified Instagram account.
We as fans sometimes take things to personally. As a pontine Raiders fan, since ’69, I was. It happy to see DC go down, but realized that it’s the nfl and that means, next man up. We should believe that even without DC, the rest of the team could/should be able to overcome this setback. It didn’t happen.
MK was, IMO, saying don’t be afraid of success, we aren’t and we’re here to do our thing with and without DC. We want him but support us while he is out. Positive thoughts not negative ones.
Should he have called us bandwagon fans NO.
Who knows if AT and Crab made up and is it even any of our business? No.
Route for the team. Cheer them on. Be upset when things don’t go our way but remember it is a game with emotions and THEY get paid to play and then they are like the rest of us with families and friends and do normal stuff.
He made a mistake and even though I disagree with him and the AT picture, he is a Raider and I will support him, on the field.