Gerald McCoy was a top defensive lineman in his career 11-year NFL career. And he is very proud of the fact that he played with no gloves, even though his poor fingers paid the price.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star is excelling in his new career as a studio analyst. He joined NFL Network originally in 2023. And in the wake of seismic layoffs and moves at ESPN after the equity deal with the NFL, he looks to now have a more prominent role at ESPN.
McCoy made his debut on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning. And in his first appearance on the show, he shocked host Mike Greenberg and fellow co-workers on just what exactly a decade will do to your digits when playing in the trenches.
In complimenting new Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, McCoy said the thing he loved the most was that he was one of the rare players on the line of scrimmage to play without gloves.
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“He plays with no gloves. He likes to feel his victims with his hands. There’s nothing wrong with playing with gloves, but I didn’t play with no gloves. You have to pay the price, your fingers might be bent up, but this is why they win,” McCoy said.
As Gerald McCoy held up his hands, Mike Greenberg wasn’t that impressed. Then McCoy took his ring finger and bent it completely around his middle finger in a moment that should have come with a viewer discretion warning.
The reaction of McCoy’s ESPN colleagues and the looks on their faces says it all. Even Jason McCourty, who played many years in the league, doesn’t look entirely comfortable with what he just saw.
Credit: Get Up
Greenberg mentioned fellow ESPN analyst Booger McFarland, who also played without gloves on the defensive line as perhaps having the wildest collection of fingers known to humankind. Maybe at one point this season we can get McCoy and McFarland on the set together to really gross out their ESPN teammates.
