Australian golfer Jason Day risked the wrath of NFL fans in two major US cities with some striking comments about the team he supports.
Going into day three of the US Open at Oakmont, Pennsylvania – a 20-minute drive from the city of Pittsburgh – Day was asked if he was paying tribute to the Steelers with his yellow-and-black bag.
His answer left NFL fans stunned and even Day himself knew he was leaving himself open to criticism when he said it.
‘No, unfortunately not,’ Day said with a laugh about his bag. ‘I do like Pittsburgh sports in general, even though I do live in Columbus, Ohio and my favorite football team is the Cleveland Browns.
‘Even though they have a rivalry, my second favorite team is Pittsburgh. I know I am going to get a lot of slack for that. But yeah I do have the Pittsburgh colors on today, I’ll leave it at that.’
To say they have a rivalry was a big understatement from Day. The Browns-Steelers rivalry is the oldest in the NFL, with the two teams playing at least twice a season in the AFC North.
The clip was shared by US Open broadcaster NBC on X and fans were inevitablu baffled by Day’s answer.
‘Gotta be close to an unforgivable offense,’ read one reply, while another said: ‘Not a real football guy. Can’t have a 2nd favorite team. Definitely not your rival.’
Last season, the Browns have struggled badly and ended the campaign with a miserable 3-14 record while the Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns picked two quarterbacks in the recent NFL Draft in Green Bay including Shedeur Sanders in round six – after some had backed him to be taken in the top three.
The Steelers have changed a signal caller too. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both left and this time around, they will have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, with the 41-year-old recently signing a one-year deal with the organization.
Day, meanwhile, goes into round three of the US Open on three-over for the tournament – a respectable score given that only three players had an under-par score going into moving day.
