Los Angeles Rams rookie edge rusher Jared Verse appeared to embrace the fan abuse he received in Philadelphia before Sunday’s Divisional Round playoff game with the Eagles.
Just days after admitting he hates Eagles fans, the 24-year-old Florida State product took a pregame stroll at Lincoln Financial Field, where the locals were waiting for him.
Verse and teammate Byron Young were both showered with boos as they strolled through the end zone ahead of kickoff. They were seen cupping their hands behind their ears to encourage the vitriol with Young adding a few repetitions of ‘thank you’ to boot.
At one point, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter said something to Verse, who had a quick retort: ‘I’ll take that 77 for the next round. I’ll put that in my pocket.’
Verse appeared to be referring to the $77,000 bonus NFL players receive for reaching the conference championship, which the Rams would do if they can upset the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
He may not have been widely known to Eagles fans prior to this week, but Verse popped up on their radar when asked about a viral video of a local verbally abusing a Packers fan at Lincoln Financial Field during the Wild Card round.
‘I hate Eagles fans,’ the 24-year-old told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday. ‘They’re so annoying. I hate Eagles fans.’
Interestingly, Verse is actually from central Pennsylvania, having grown up about a two-hour drive from the City of Brotherly Love.
Regardless, Verse’s astonishing admission came after Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell, 45, was fired from his job as a business analyst for a DEI-focused management consultancy firm following a viral video of his vile rant towards a rival female supporter.
In the video, Caldwell is seen shouting obscenities at a woman in a Packers hat: ‘She’s an ugly, dumb c***!’
Verse’s feelings about Eagles fans were only emboldened by the video.
‘When I see that green and white I hate it,’ he said. ‘I actually get upset. Like I actually genuinely get hot.’
He went on to reveal his bitter rivalry with the Eagles faithful began when they subjected him to abuse at LA’s SoFi Stadium back in November.
The obscenities were so loud that he could hear them through his headphones.
‘I didn’t even do nothing to ‘em,’ the Ohio-born rookie said. ‘It was my first time playing. Oh, I hate Eagles fans.’
Just in case any Philadelphian missed Verse’s comments, they have since been emblazoned across a local billboard near Lincoln Financial Field.
Caldwell was fired at his DEI consulting agency and has been banned by the Eagles from attending all future events at Lincoln Financial Field.
However, he has now claimed that the viral video did not capture the incident in its entire context.
Despite apologizing to Ally Keller, the woman in question, for his ‘unforgiving words,’ Caldwell maintained that he did not say them without provocation.
‘While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret,’ he told the New York Post.
‘What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.
‘I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended.
‘That said, there are two sides to every story. The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am.’
