Fox Sports hosts blasted for tone-deaf commentary after devastating Jayson Tatum Achilles injury
By JAKE NISSE
Fox Sports personalities Craig Carton and Mark Schlereth have been blasted by fans for their commentary on Jayson Tatum's recent Achilles injury.
The Celtics star went down with a non-contact injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, and the team announced the following day that he had undergone surgery for a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
And while the news is a devastating blow for the Celtics in this series and beyond, it will certainly give the Knicks a better chance of progressing after they claimed a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Carton and Schlereth drove home that point in rather tone-deaf fashion afterwards.
'The fans will be like, 'I want their best,' three-time Super Bowl winner Schelereth began on Breakfast Ball. 'I was like, 'No, I don't.' I don't want their best. I pray for all their guys to get hurt and all our guys to stay healthy, and I'm not an animal, not significantly hurt, just miss the game.'
'You never root for injury,' Carton added. 'It was sad to see one of the great players in the sport go down with what is apparently a torn Achilles, which knocks him out for the rest of the postseason and the majority of next year, which sucks. Blah, blah, blah.. but I ain't crying about it. I'm not making excuses for it.
Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles rupture during Game 4 against the Knicks on Monday
Craig Carton (left) and Mark Schlereth have been criticized for their reaction to the injury
'I've said a million times on this show and every show I've ever done, I've never seen a championship since 1986 with the New York Mets when I was in high school. I want the easiest possible road to a championship,' he continued.
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'When you're at the parade, nobody ever looks back and goes, 'Yeah, but you beat the Celtics in Game 5 without Jayson Tatum.' You celebrate the championship. So, sucks being you, Boston. And I don't root for the injury, but I ain't complaining about it.'
The pair's remarks did not go down well with fans as Tatum, 27, faces a long road to recovery.
'Pathetic and classless,' one said on X.
'You make great sports fans look like a joke you should be ashamed to be a part of a New York fanbase,' another said of New York-native Carton.
'So he's getting fired, right?,' another asked of Schlereth
And a fourth said: 'I can't believe someone still pays @markschlereth to offer any sort of opinions on sports.
Tatum was helped off of the court by trainers and now faces a long road to recovery
In confirming that Tatum had ruptured his Achilles and announcing he had undergone surgery, the Celtics did not provide a timetable for the six-time All-Star's return.
He had played tremendously in what turned out to be a 121-113 Knicks win, scoring 42 points and grabbing eight rebounds before he was forced to leave the game.
The Knicks are now one game away from getting back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
Game 5 will be in Boston on Wednesday night, while a potential Game 6 would return to New York. The Celtics would also host Game 7 if they can keep the series alive.
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