The shove Raiders star Maxx Crosby gave to Las Vegas linebackers coach Mike Caldwell was nothing more than a ‘love push,’ the All-Pro defensive end claimed after viral footage of the incident ignited controversy online.
‘Mike Caldwell Is My Guy,’ Crosby wrote on X, curiously choosing to capitalize the first letter of each word. ‘One Of The Best People In The Business. That’s (sic) A Love Push, Stop Reaching.’
Crosby went a step further with reporters on Monday following Sunday’s 32-13 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
‘Mike Caldwell is a great dude,’ Crosby said, as quoted by Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. ‘We have a great relationship and we do that all the time. It’s like, you know, people look at it: ‘Oh, they’re losing and then Maxx pushes him.’
‘That’s how we play football,’ Crosby continued. ‘We’re grown men. We’re alpha males. We don’t greet each other the same… The camera, it made it look bad. It looked like I was throwing him out the club, but that was not what happened at all.’
Maxx Crosby furiously shoved Raiders assistant Mike Caldwell during the loss to the Steelers
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (left) and linebackers coach Mike Caldwell (right)
The shove Crosby gave to Caldwell was nothing more than a ‘love push,’ the NFL star claims
The shove did not endear Crosby to Raiders fans, who are justifiably anxious amid the team’s 2-4 start.
‘Trade Request incoming soon,’ one user suggested.
‘Unacceptable, trade him to the Chicago Bears,’ said another.
‘Not OK,’ a third wrote. ‘Like really, really not OK.’
Crosby, the self-proclaimed ‘Alpha male,’ performed well in the loss, recording two tackles for a loss and three hits on quarterback Justin Fields. But despite his strong effort, Pittsburgh still gained 183 yards on the ground, which helped the Steelers to a nearly four-minute edge in time of possession.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell was up and down in his first start, completing 27 of 40 passes for one touchdown and an interception.
Las Vegas is currently awaiting the return of injured wide receiver Davante Adams, who has been mentioned in trade rumors.
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