Jamie Carragher brutally tackled to the deck on Burnley pitch by NFL icon
Fans inside Turf Moor were unexpectedly treated to a little NFL preview after Jamie Carragher was tackled to the ground by American Football star JJ Watt during the pre-match build up
Jamie Carragher got a brief taste of gridiron action after being tackled to the ground by NFL star JJ Watt.
The Liverpool legend was previewing Manchester City's opening day clash with Burnley on the Turf Moor pitch when Watt, who has a minority stake in Burnley, joined him and his Sky Sports colleagues on the broadcast.
Carragher then produced an American football and asked Watt to take him and Gary Neville on in a makeshift pitch-side drill. He wanted Neville to play quarterback so Watt could smash into him, but the American insisted Carragher play the position instead.
"I think there's a lot of people at home that want you to be the quarterback," Watt said, to which a grimacing Carragher replied: "OK I'll be the quarterback, you [pointing at Neville] be the wide receiver."
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The trio then stepped onto the pitch and Carragher shaped to throw the ball to Neville, but as he did, Watt crashed into him and dragged him to the floor - sparking a big cheer from the Turf Moor crowd.
But even though fans inside the stadium seemed to be enjoying themselves, supporters on social media were less than impressed.
"Build up to the game has been shocking! All summer waiting and this is the c*** you come up with Sky Sports?" one supporter fumed. "It would be a good idea to nip this sort of embarrassing behaviour in the bud as soon as possible. I don’t think I can manage nine months of ‘antics’ from Carragher and Neville," tweeted another.
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"They're like performing chimps," another wrote, while a fourth said: "Nobody cares. Just talk about what everyone tuned in for. Football."
Thankfully, the football was a little more exciting, with Erling Haaland smashing two first half goals to give the defending champions a commanding lead. Rodri then added a third with 15 minutes to go.