Skip Bayless drew the ire of Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams after jokingly suggesting that Dallas players should be 'executed' following the team's loss to the Cardinals
Skip Bayless drew backlash for joking that the Cowboys should be executed after losing to the Cardinals
Skip Bayless drew backlash for joking that the Cowboys should be 'executed' after losing to the Cardinals(Image: Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Skip Bayless did little to hide his frustration with the Cowboys, sarcastically suggesting that players should be “executed” after Dallas’ gut-wrenching loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
In Week 8, Dallas' hopes of reaching the playoffs suffered a major blow following a 33-30 overtime defeat to the lowly Cardinals. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams repeatedly stressed that the Cowboys needed to execute over all four quarters in order to avoid another upset loss to the two-win Colts this weekend.
“The biggest thing is execute,” Williams explained. “We gotta execute. We haven’t been executing this whole season. We executed for three quarters, and didn’t execute that last quarter, and the film says it all.
READ MORE: Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer removed Rashan Gary after 'big' penalty cost win
“I think the biggest thing we’ve got to focus on is execute, and continue to stack days. At the end of the day, we’ve got to execute.”
Upon catching wind of Williams’ comments, Bayless couldn’t help but poke fun at the 28-year-old’s word choice. "Stephen A., we became a national laughingstock once again when Quinnen Williams, in a five-minute interview, used the word 'execute' 32 times in five minutes," Bayless said on Thursday’s edition of First Take.
“And I must tell you, that during Sunday’s collapse against the Arizona freakin’ Cardinals, I wanted to execute several of my players during the game.
“Execute them on the field. I wanted them to be executed.”
Bayless’ lighthearted threat appeared to pay homage to the late John McKay, who made a similar remark amidst the Buccaneers’ 26-game losing streak in the 1970s.
When asked to share his thoughts regarding the execution of Tampa Bay’s offense, the legendary coach replied: "I'm all for it."
Yet Williams didn’t seem to find the humor in Bayless’ dig, promptly clapping back at the outspoken pundit on social media.
“@RealSkipBayless it’s extremely crazy to say you wanted players on defense to be executed,” Williams wrote on X. “You got to do better my guy.”
Quinnen Williams clapped back at Skip Bayless after he suggested that Cowboys players should be executed
Quinnen Williams clapped back at Bayless after he suggested that Cowboys players should be 'executed'(Image: Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Taking to the comment section of Williams’ post, droves of NFL fans accused the four-time Pro Bowler of overreacting to Bayless’ joke. “It’s a joke bro, sure you and your teammates say a lot worse in the locker room,” an X user wrote, with another adding: “It’s a play on words my guy.”
A third chimed in, “That’s the beauty of the English language bro, words can be used in different ways and context matters. In this context it’s being used as a joke and shouldn’t not be taken seriously.”
Others rushed to Williams’ defense, insisting that players’ safety was no laughing matter. “Nah I agree with Q-Will,” one person argued. “Criticism is absolutely fair, but there’s a difference between holding players accountable and making f------- reckless statements.”
Someone else said, “I’m so sorry! I can’t believe he actually said that! You did right to correct!”