Cleveland Browns veteran quarterback Joe Flacco played the role of an old man yelling at the youngins to get off his lawn, offering his thoughts on the viral act of performing TikTok dances.
Flacco offered a hilarious take when asked by a reporter if he planned to take part in the trend.
“No TikTok dances. The fact that people – that’s different too, this generation – the fact that people want to get on their phones and show people the most—that’s embarrassing,” he said. “You’re an adult. Be an adult. I can’t wrap my head around that.”
Flacco went so far as to say, yeah, he understands wanting to play around with your kids, but suggested doing such things in the privacy of your own home.
“I get it. You have kids and you want to have fun with your kids,” he added. “Have fun with your kids in private, you know? That’s what I think.”
Sage advice to the selfie-obsessed generation.
Joe Flacco went on to suggest he’s a very open and honest guy when it comes to the media, and is sometimes tempted to “be that guy” on the socials.
“That’s a job in itself,” he ultimately lamented.
As for the honesty part, Flacco is correct. Earlier this week, he also took a jab at rookies who think the practices nowadays are tough.
“Guys that are coming in the NFL now have never done it,” he said of two-a-days.
“We’re out here for an hour and 15 minutes, and guys think it’s hard. You know, our OTAs were like over two hours,” he chided.
Joe Flacco has thoughts on social media, including TikTok dances. A pretty entertaining 2 minutes of video here #Browns pic.twitter.com/6MV6Y5IqrP
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) June 11, 2025
On Being a Mentor to Shedeur Sanders
Joe Flacco, a veteran quarterback entering his 18th NFL season, earlier this year responded to the idea that he should serve as a mentor to fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders.
“It’s a good question to bait somebody into answering, and no matter how they answer it, it kind of makes the guy that’s answering it look bad,” Flacco said. “If I say, ‘I don’t want to be a mentor,’ I look bad. If I say, ‘I do want to be a mentor,’ then I look like an idiot that doesn’t care about being good and playing football.”
The high-profile Sanders was drafted into an organization with an already crowded locker full of quarterbacks, including veterans like Flacco, Deshaun Watson, and the recently acquired Kenny Pickett, not to mention fellow rookie and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.
“I tend to try to be honest, and I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor. I play football.’ And in a quarterback room, there’s a lot of times — already, there’s been already a ton of times — where there’s learning experiences and I have a lot of experience, and I can talk on things, and hopefully they listen,” explained Flacco.
“But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me.”
As for TikTok dances, Joe Flacco is right – they’re out of control.
West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez is banning TikTok dance videos for his players. Not TikTok itself, but performing dance videos hoping to go viral.
His explanation is utterly hilarious.
“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” Rodriguez explained. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it.”
“It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”
‘You’re in there in your tights’ is an all-time quote in NCAA football history, if we’re being honest.
West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez says he's banning his players from dancing on TikTok.
"How about let's win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?" pic.twitter.com/Q3DSulttZj
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 11, 2025
Joe Flacco has had an extensive and storied career, most notably leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII victory in 2013. Flacco earned Super Bowl MVP honors for his performance.
In 2023, he was named the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year for his impressive resurgence with the Cleveland Browns, starting five games and throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Right now, the situation in Cleveland is unclear, with each of the several quarterbacks on the roster having an opportunity to seize that starter role. Maybe somebody will set themselves apart by posting a TikTok dance video.
Joe Flacco Makes His Feelings on Being a Mentor to Shedeur Sanders Very Clear
Rusty Weiss is a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys, and Xavier Musketeers fan. He has been writing professionally ... More about Rusty Weiss