Tashaun Gipson used to play for the Cleveland Browns. Respect for his former teammates, though, is low.
The Pro BowlJaguars safety took a swipe at the winless club this week, saying the Browns are "probably going to finish 0-16," before adding that Jacksonville is likely to swoop into Cleveland on Sunday and "hang 40 on them."
Browns players and coaches weren't thrilled with Gipson's screaming hot takes.
"Definitely, anybody would be disrespected with that," defensive tackle Danny Shelton said, per The Plain Dealer. "We just have to go out there, play our game and be dominant."
Said left tackle Spencer Drango: "It is bulletin board material. Some guys do, some guys don't use it. I'll leave that one up to Coach."
Coach Hue Jackson acknowledged that he spoke to the team about Gipson's remarks on Wednesday.
"Oh, I did. You can bet your bottom dollar I did," Jackson said. "I don't think we need any motivation. We're an 0-9 football team. The opportunity to play is motivation enough for this football team. We want to win."
Gipson spun his verbal fisticuffs on Monday's Freddie and Fitz show on ESPN, making it clear he was happy to be free of the Browns.
"People say their next chance to win a football game is probably against the Jaguars, which probably ain't going to happen," Gipson said. "They're probably going to finish 0-16. So you look at things like that, man, it's just a blessing to be able to get out of that situation like this where you know what winning feels like."
Gipson can't be blamed for wanting to play for a winner. Whether or not he helped the Jaguars by going public with his thoughts is another conversation, but Jacksonville (6-3) has the on-field power to back up his claims.
As for the Browns, taking shots at this struggling franchise has become the lowest form of humor for pundits and smarmy hobby horses nationwide. It's on Cleveland, though, to change that ugly fate.
A win against the Jaguars and their chatty safety would serve as a welcome start.
