Larry Fitzgerald crosses line with disrespectful comments on West Virginia

You cannot take away Larry Fitzgerald's accomplishments on the gridiron – he was an All-American during his time at Pitt, and would go on to become a multi-time All-Pro in the NFL before being inducted earlier this year into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But despite his impressive resume, there's no justification for his recent comments about not only WVU, but the state of West Virginia as a whole.

Fitzgerald spent his collegiate days playing in The Backyard Brawl, one of the most intense rivalries in all of college sports. And there's never been a single doubt regarding the hatred WVU and Pitt share for one another. But recently, Fitzgerald may have stepped over some boundaries when it comes to the rivalry during an appearance on Pardon My Take on ESPN.

“A WVU degree is worth as much as a cup of water out of Lake Tahoe, you know what I mean? What are you going to do with it?" said Fitzgerald. "They don't have any fluoride in the water in Morgantown. Have you seen their teeth? It’s crazy. They don’t have a dentist in the whole state."

Larry Fitzgerald goes too far with WVU disrespect

Making the comment about WVU's degrees is one thing. We get it. The rivalry runs between the the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh Panthers, and those teams represent their respective schools. But bringing West Virginia into the mix as a whole and denigrating the state's dental hygiene is not the flex that Fitzgerald thinks it is.

West Virginia, as well as most of rural Appalachia as a whole, has long been looked down upon by the upper classes for a perceived lack of education, intelligence, and hygiene, among other negative stereotypes. It's happened for hundreds of years despite the fact that those stereotypes have proven time and time again to be untrue.

It's all apart of a long tradition to paint the state's inhabitants as "dumb hillbillies" as the state continues to be utilized by outsiders for it's resources and workforce, while the residents of the state never seem to benefit. It's a harmful stereotype, one that helps perpetuate falsehoods and continues to keep the state subjugated to outsiders.

And by tainting the rivalry with such insulting insinuations about the people of West Virginia, Fitzagerald has certainly stepped over a line.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow