Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne recently made headlines after joining the New Orleans Saints during the off-season. Beyond the transfer news, his opening press conference is already stirring even more headlines after he debunked a long-term mispronunciation many people had about his last name.
Clarifying things surrounding the name, the new Saints right back took reporters on a journey through his college days, and why he stopped forcing the right pronunciation on people. His answer is leaving many NFL fans in bewilderment, as they compare it to Etienne’s approved pronunciation.
Fans React in Confusion After Etienne Clarifies Name Pronunciation as ‘Ay-Chan’
Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Etienne Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) rushes for yards during the third quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Etienne spent his first five NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming a major offensive force for the team. Last year, under Jaguars’ coach Liam Coen, the former first-round pick recorded an commendable 1,100 rushing yards with 14 total touchdowns.
Entering free agency during the off-season, Etienne struck a four-year $52 million deal with the Saints.
During his opening press conference with his new NFL team, Etienne clarified that his last name is not pronounced “E-T-N,” but rather “Ay-Chan.” The athlete also opened up about his younger years, when he had to remind his college friends daily of the correct pronunciation of his name.When he couldn’t succeed after four weeks, Etienne shifted grounds and sided with the popular pronunciation. To prevent multiple corrections in the future, he asked new acquaintances, colleagues, and superiors to pronounce his name correctly.
That decision birthed years of mispronunciations that have trailed his football career till date. But Etienne seems interested in righting his wrongs now, after all.
A social media user shared a video of Etienne during the said video with thecaption:
“No Way: We have been mispronouncing new Saints RB Travis Etienne’s name totally wrong for years.
“Travis Ay-Chan””
No Way: We have been mispronouncing new Saints RB Travis Etienne's name totally wrong for years.
"Travis Ay-Chan"
🤯🤯🤯pic.twitter.com/l0AdkYsu5C
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 13, 2026
The reactions from fans have demonstrated nothing short of confusion. One user humorouslywrote,
“He is ETN for life, he can’t fix that now.”
Anotheradded,
“We must at least consider the possibility he is pronouncing his own name wrong.”
A third bemused commenterwrote,
“That pronunciation plot twist is crazy, everyone’s been saying it wrong for years,”while another hilariouslyremarked in reference to Miami Dolphins’ DeVon Achane, “We already got an Achane”
Thankfully, a few fans claimed they were never in the wrong, like his fan whosays,
“If you’ve spent time in Louisiana you already knew this.”
Now, without their top player, the Jaguars have to rely on second-year backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen at the position, alongside signing free agent Chris Rodriguez. Hopefully, Etienne gets all the welcome he deserves at the Saints, including the right name pronunciation he’s craved since his college days.