Comedian Tiffany Haddish has come under intense criticism from football enthusiasts following what many are calling a 'disrespectful' incident at the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday evening. The event, held in San Francisco, saw the 46-year-old actress and comedian tasked with presenting the prestigious Coach of the Year award.
Award Presentation Goes Awry
The star of 'Girls Trip' unfortunately botched her pronunciation of the winning coach's surname during the live broadcast. New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, whose name is correctly pronounced 'vray-bull', was honoured for engineering a remarkable one-season turnaround in Foxborough, leading his team back to the Super Bowl.
However, Haddish mispronounced Vrabel's name as 'verbal', creating an awkward moment that was captured by television cameras panning across the crowd. The error quickly ignited a firestorm on social media platforms, with fans and commentators alike expressing their disapproval.
Social Media Reaction
Conservative sports commentator Jon Root described the incident as 'another embarrassing moment for the league at NFL Honors', adding that Haddish's mispronunciation was 'unprofessional & disrespectful'. Boston sports writer Dan Kelley suggested that 'Tiffany Haddish really should have practiced saying "Mike Vrabel" before NFL Honors tonight', though he extended congratulations to Coach Vrabel for his well-deserved recognition.
One social media user remarked that '10 seconds of name pronouncement check woulda saved her the giant social media backlash bashing', while another found humour in the situation, stating 'Tiffany Haddish butchering Mike Vrabel’s name in front of the entire league is hilarious to me'. A third comment questioned whether it was 'too much to ask Tiffany Haddish to get Mike Vrabel's name right' or for producers to provide proper pronunciation guidance beforehand.
Additional Pronunciation Errors
Haddish was not the only presenter to struggle with names during the ceremony. Internet comedian and influencer Druski also made a significant error while attempting to pronounce Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba's name. In a particularly shocking moment, Druski inadvertently used a racial slur instead, causing visible discomfort among attendees and viewers alike.
The dual incidents have sparked broader conversations about preparation and respect during high-profile award ceremonies, with many questioning whether sufficient measures were taken to ensure presenters were properly briefed on name pronunciations.
