Crawford’s owes apology for foolish COVID 19 comments

With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full effect, WBO World Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford has said some foolish things about it on a recent podcast.

And, it would be in his best interest, and in the best interest of Top Rank Boxing who promotes him, to get him to publicly apologize, as soon as possible.

Crawford appeared in the most recent boxing podcast hosted by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated released Friday. Mannix did a wide-ranging interview on several subjects, but began by talking to Crawford about how he was handling being isolated, etc. due to the Coronavirus:

NEW @SInow Boxing Pod: @KevinI on Las Vegas going dark, @TheNotoriousMMA's plans for boxing, how boxing comes back, @KingRyanG's future, more; @TerenceCrawford on his conversations with @ErrolSpenceJr, fighting behind closed doors, more.

Links: https://t.co/sTgJ0vXFR7

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 10, 2020

And, that’s when Crawford went beyond just questioning whether or not we needed to continue as a country to practice “social distancing” and isolation to help curb the spread of the potentially deadly upper-respiratory virus, to out-and-out claim that the Coronavirus itself was a hoax,

“I’m sorry. I’m not trippin’ or worried about this stuff (COVID-19) like everybody else. I don’t feel like all these people that they say dying (sic) and sick from it, is actually true. You know. I think they trying (sic) using fear to control us, right now, for something else…. Me personally? I can’t agree with a whole bunch of things that they sayinn’ (sic) right now.”

When Mannix pressed him on why he thought that? Crawford responded,

“You gotta think, the media runs the world. So you put anything on the media, then people are going to run with it…. and now, you got a whole bunch of people scared. My thing is: if it was so bad, then why they got people out there on the streets working?

Why they got all these people still working, but you can only have take out (restaurants)? It’s a whole bunch of questions that I need answers for.”

Again, those comments are beyond criticizing media fear-mongering and the severity of the impact of the virus nationwide in the United States. That is instead, idiotically claiming that it’s not real.

Something next level.

Entirely different and also, dangerous.

As of Monday morning, the U.S. total of known hosptializations for COVID 19 is 61,000+ people and the number of deaths is at over 21,000.

Sobering numbers, with most of that occurring over the past month.

So, don’t tell the tens of thousands of doctors, nurses and hospital workers along with first responders all over the United States, who are risking their very safety, if not their lives, by going and treating multiple Coronavirus patients daily that it’s not real.

Don’t tell it to the family members of those, who have already lost loved ones by the thousands now due to the outbreak of this much more aggressive version of the Flu that it doesn’t exist.

In times of crisis, and certainly this is one at the highest level, words matter from public officials, and people that we deem important.

While Crawford isn’t the most popular or recognizable sports figure in the United States by a long shot, he is still a prominent boxer that has been featured and showcased on the number one sports television outlet in America, ESPN, for the last three-plus years.

That is due to his promotional relationship with Bob Arum and Top Rank Boxing and their deal with ESPN. A deal that is included Crawford (shown with Arum above) already having multiple fights on Pay-per-view through the ESPN – Top Rank relationship.

So someone in his position can’t go on the air publicly, make the statements he made, and not have consequences.

Further, Mannix followed up on the podcast asking about Crawford’s own family and routine. And, Crawford further revealed that he and his family were not abiding by any social distancing or isolation mandates and that he was continuing to go to his boxing gym and train.

He did say to Mannix he has not been sparring with other fighters and it wasn’t clear how many others are at his gym with him while he is going to there to train or if he is there alone, etc.?

As of midday Monday, there had been no follow-up response from Crawford to at least apologize after his podcast comments have been picked up by numerous outlets, including Yahoo Sports and Boxingscene.com.

Further, Arum and Top Rank Boxing have not released a statement to denounce what Crawford said about the non-existence of COVID-19. Although, that might change as the coverage of his comments ramps up.

No one questions that the 32-0 Crawford is as talented as any Welterweight fighter in the world. And, he is going to be a prominent figure in the fight game, when boxing does resume presumably later this summer and certainly by the fall.

But, with the privilege of making millions of dollars through network TV exposure and promotional deals, comes responsibility.

Responsibility of not undermining the attempts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak by foolishly telling fight/sports fans that it doesn’t exist.

Crawford should know better, and if he doesn’t now, he may soon, will.