Photo of Taylor Rooks smiling and photo of Emmanuel Acho in red jacket
Taylor Rooks came for Emmanuel Acho on Wednesday following a controversial take he made regarding Angel Reese the previous day.

Acho offered an opinion on Reese’s recent interview in which she detailed all of the hateful treatment she’s gotten over the past year and made it clear that he does not feel sorry for her.

The former NFL linebacker suggested that the LSU star should suck up all what she’s been hit with because she wants to act grown, get paid like she’s grown, and talk to grown folks like she’s grown.

“Because if you want to act grown, which she has; if you wanted to get paid like you’re grown, which she has; if you wanted to talk to grown folks like you grown, which you told a coach from an opposing team, ‘Watch your mouth.’ If you want to tell people get your money up, then post-game, when you take an L, you just gotta take it on the chin,” he said on FS1’s ‘Speak‘.

“Nobody mourns when the villain catches an L. And Angel Reese, you have self-proclaimed to be the villain.”

Acho let Reese know she put a target on her own back when she claimed to be the villain and therefore should not be surprised if people want to take shots at her.

“Because what frustrated me is you want to be the villain, but you want to hope for sympathy like a hero,” he added.

Reese did declare herself a villain, but she meant it in reference to basketball, not life. The 21-year-old also hasn’t asked anyone to feel sorry for her based on what’s happened on the court; what she did was complain about being a victim of racism, death threats, and people making lewd AI photos of her, among other things.

Taylor Rooks Defends Angel Reese

Taylor Rooks has taken to X/Twitter to respond to Acho in a post spanning more than 400 words.

“Your response here is actually full of opinions that indirectly (and directly) involve both race and gender,” she wrote. “It’s just coded to unsuccessfully soften the blow.”

You can check her full response out here:

Meanwhile, Reese has announced her intention to enter the WNBA Draft this year, insisting she’s ready for the pros as she’s achieved everything she set out to in college.\

Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his illegal hit to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the ensuing brawl between the teams in a lengthy statement on social media.  

Al-Shaair’s statement comes as his three-game suspension as a result of the incident has ended and he is slated to return to the field for the Texans on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

On December 1, an Al-Shaair hit to the head of a sliding and defenseless Lawrence caused chaos in Jacksonville. The defensive back needed to be restrained by several coaches and Lawrence has not played since taking the barbaric contact.

‘While so many jumped at the first opportunity to hop on the false narrative – that l’m a dirty player or bad person – the messages from all who stood by me were the only things keeping me mentally afloat during a time of isolation,’ Al-Shaair said on social media.

‘I’ve learned so much from this entire experience. Seeing myself on video – letting my emotions get the best of me to the point where I completely lost it – was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me.’

‘I’ve had to earn everything in my life. I never want to allow anyone to get me to a point where I jeopardize everything that I’ve worked all my life to obtain. That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment.’

Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence
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Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence

The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence
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The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence

Al-Shaair said during his three-game ban, he met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives for the first time, taking issue with how he was characterized in the official announcement of his suspension.

The defender said he thought his character and integrity were ‘unjustifiably smeared’ in the release but the meeting with Goodell and others was ‘productive’ and gave him hope it would not happen again.

‘In that conversation – man-to-man – I owned and acknowledged that my actions following my ejection were careless and, in that moment, I didn’t think about the responsibility I have been blessed with to represent the shield,’ Al-Shaair continued.

‘I also stated that the letter, and specifically the language used in the letter, was equally as careless and conveyed that the context of the words used were not a reflection of my character, nor my career, as I have not been warned multiple times for my play on the field.’

Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence was not the only controversial incident he was involved in this season.

During the Texans’ game against the Bears in September, he punched Roschon Johnson, who wasn’t even in the game at the time of another sideline confrontation.

Al-Shaair ended his statement by saying his view is that everyone in the league office and on the field are on the same team to represent the NFL in the best nature possible, something he failed to do earlier this month.

‘Lastly, I’ll say that this world is full of negative people who can’t wait to tear you down, but if you move with love and compassion, the seeds of good you planted in others’ lives can grow into the very tree that shades you with comfort and compassion when you need it most,’ Al-Shaair concluded.

‘I am a man of God, I am a leader, a warrior and a lover. I am also a hell of a football player and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love.’