Some of the fastest guys on the planet sure love to talk non-stop.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill responded Monday to a rambling comment Noah Lyles made a year ago when he challenged the U.S. sprinter and Olympic gold medalist to a race.
“I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill said on the “Up & Adams” podcast. “I wouldn’t beat him by much, but I would beat Noah Lyles.”
Podcast host Kay Adams told Hill that Lyles had said Super Bowl champions shouldn’t be considered world champions. “What do you think about that?” she asked, failing to mention that Lyles made the comment in August 2023, after the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Lyles is not the first person to wonder aloud why several American sports leagues crown “world” champions. But he did so after becoming the first man since Usain Bolt to complete a world championship hat-trick with wins in the 100 and 200 meters and as a member of the 4×100 relay team.
His point was that his achievement came in a competition between athletes representing numerous countries, making the event a true world championship.
“What hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and have the word ‘world champion’ in my head. World champion of what?” said Lyles, who calls himself the “fastest man in the world.” “America? Don’t get me wrong, I love America sometimes, but that’s not the world.”
Lyles won gold in the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics, but struggled to win bronze in the 200 meters because he said he had tested positive for COVID-19. He collapsed after the race and was taken off the track in a wheelchair.
Hill, who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, took the bait on the podcast and all but said, “Not so fast, Lyles.”
“Noah Lyles can’t say anything after what happened to him,” Hill said. “He wants to go out there and pretend he’s sick. I think that’s horseradish. For him to do that and say we’re not world champions in our sport. Come on, bro, talk about what you know, and that’s athletics.”
Hill, a five-time All-Pro and considered the fastest player in the NFL, smiled and couldn't help but add a witty comment.
“When I beat him, I’m going to wear a COVID mask,” said Hill, whose nickname is “Cheetah.” “Because I’m serious.”
