Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason slammed how Eileen Gu conducted herself during interviews, despite the fact that he thought the 22-year-old was 'attractive' yet 'insufferable'
15:31 ET, 24 Feb 2026
Silver medalist Ailing Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China smiles whilst holding her Faction skis and wearing her national flag during the medal ceremony for the Women's Freeski Big Air on day ten of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on February 16, 2026 in Livigno, Italy
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Eileen Gu continues to make international waves for her success with China after spurning the United States(Image: Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
A former NFL MVP has taken umbrage with how Olympic star Eileen Gu carried herself during the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.
Boomer Esiason, the 1998 MVP, made it clear he was not impressed with how Gu, who was born in San Francisco and competed for China during the Winter Olympics, sounded during her press conferences and interviews. So much so that Esiason took to the radio waves to express his dislike.
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Along with expressing his displeasure with the 22-year-old competing for China, Esiason commented on how the star carried herself. The criticism comes after her interaction with a reporter regarding how she viewed her accomplishments.
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"If you listen to her, you're like: 'What?'" the former MVP said to Gregg Giannotti, his WFAN co-host. He added that he is not a fan of how Gu conducts herself during press conferences, calling out how the star is tough to listen to, in his own opinion.
"She's a very, very attractive woman and she's extremely bright, she went to Stanford," he continued. "But if you listen to her post… participation interviews, she's insufferable. She is. It's hard to listen to. But then again, it's an individual sport and an individual person talking about herself as opposed to talking about her teammates or the support she receives."
Esiason added that while he believes Gu is "exceptionally bright" and that she knew "how she's gonna answer things," the 64-year-old did not explain why he believes the Chinese star was what he called her out to be.
Boomer Esiason speaks onstage during the Gracie Awards Luncheon presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation on June 18, 2025 in New York City
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Boomer Esiason took umbrage with how Gu carried herself during the 2026 Winter Olympics(Image: Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
Perhaps what has made Gu difficult for some to stomach is how the 22-year-old carries herself during press conferences and interviews. One particular moment for the Milan-Cortina games stood out, when a reporter asked Gu if she considered her performance as "two silvers gained or two golds lost."
Laughing off the question, the star emphasized just how difficult it was to win Olympic medals while stating she was the most decorated women's Olympic freestyle skater. "I think that's an answer in and of itself," her answer began.
"How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else's expectations rise.
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"The two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take."
What's more, Gu explained what goes through her mind, telling reporters she's a "pensive" and a "very introspective" woman. "I spend a lot of time in my head, and it's not a bad place to be. I journal a lot. I break down all of my thought processes. I think I apply a very analytical lens to my own thinking, and I modify it because it's so interesting," she told reporters.
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"You can control what you think. You can control how you think, and therefore, you can control who you are. And especially as a young person, I'm 22, so with neuroplasticity on my side, I can literally become exactly who I want to be. How cool is that? How empowering is that?"
Gu came away from the Milan-Cortina games having won three Olympic medals: Two silver and one gold. The 22-year-old's six total gold or silver Olympic medals made her the most decorated freestyle skier in history.