New footage suggests that Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, was trying to remove debris or ice from a child while celebrating his team’s Daytona 500 victory on Sunday, contrary to earlier claims that he made inappropriate contact with Beau Reddick, the son of NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick.
The video shows the child drenched in ice after celebrating his father’s landmark win, and Jordan, who has known him for years, was likely helping him avoid frostbite.
“The kid was drenched during the celebration with water and ice along with the confetti. Zoomed in you can see Jordan is clearly tugging on the shirt,” wrote an X user while reacting to the clip of Jordan pinching the lower back of Beau at the podium.
Michael Jordan Viral Video
Elsewhere, radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge also believes that the Internet went too far in jumping the gun after watching the initial clip from Sunday.
“Michael Jordan reaching into Tyler Reddick’s son’s waistband went viral fast,” wrote Bubba. “But if you actually watch it closely, you can see chunks of ice packed in the kid’s back. First glance looks bad. Second glance looks like someone helping a kid who had ice shoved down his shirt.”
On his radio show, Bubba admitted that at first glance, the video “looks shocking” but urged fans to do their due diligence before jumping the gun. He also noted that Jordan had been seen celebrating with the same child several times in the past and that he shares a close relationship with the Reddick family.
MJ Controversy Sparks Reactions
Scores of other analysts and fans came to Michael Jordan’s defense on Monday, with X user Brian Krassenstein saying that those accusing Jordan were out of line.
“People have to try and sexualize everything,” he wrote. “The kid is wet and probably has ice down his shirt after the celebration. Stop trying to pretend that Michael Jordan sexually assaulted a kid on national TV. It says MORE about you than him.”
However, certain other users were unwilling to give Jordan a pass. One fan even pushed back on the theory that the child had ice cubes falling out of his shirt.
Barstool Sports’ Kevin Clancy argued that Jordan ruined four decades of goodwill with sports fans with a 10-second viral clip.
“That MJ video is a real problem man,” he wrote on X. “A reaaal problem. 40 yrs of arguably the coolest legacy ever, all out the window in 10 seconds. It’s inconceivable for someone from my era for MJ to look like this.
“But that’s the price you pay for grabbing kids butts I suppose.”
Neither Jordan’s camp nor 23XI Racing has issued a response to the backlash.
Jordan, widely considered the greatest basketball player in history, turned 63 on Tuesday. He considered Sunday’s Daytona 500 victory an early birthday present.
“It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won’t even know,” Jordan said after 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick secured a stunning victory on Sunday.
New Footage Adds Twist to Michael Jordan Viral NASCAR Video