In the world of NFL social media one-upmanship, it appears nothing is off limits.
One day after Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold was arrested in Florida on kidnapping and robbery charges that could carry a life sentence, a social media post from the Philadelphia Eagles on the team’s official X account appeared to troll the Lions and Arnold.
The post was simply a picture of Eagles All-Pro cornerback and 2024 1st-round pick Quinyon Mitchell that read “All-Pro Q” — seemingly a dig at those who criticized the Eagles for taking Mitchell at No. 22 overall with Arnold still on the board.
The Lions selected Arnold just 2 picks later, at No. 24 overall.
Much of the vitriol seemed to spring from a poorly-aged tweet from Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks on draft day in 2024. Shorr-Parks suggested the Eagles should have taken either Arnold or another Alabama cornerback, Kool-Aid McKinstry, selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 2nd round (No. 41 overall).
“Eagles select Quinyon Mitchell,” Shorr-Parks said on April 26, 2024. “Don’t really like this pick. Fine, but I’d have gone Arnold or Kool-Aid if going CB … Quinyon Mitchell was not CB1 to me. I would have taken (an offensive lineman) or Kool-Aid/Nate Wiggins/Terrion Arnold. But this is a close CB class and that is my preference.”
Mitchell has been 1 of the NFL’s dominant outside cornerbacks from the moment he stepped on the field, which includes a Super Bowl win, NFL All-Pro nod, and Pro Bowl selection in just his 1st 2 seasons.
Fans React to Eagles’ Social Media Troll Job
NFL fans on social media were quick to make the connection between Arnold’s arrest and the Eagles’ post praising Mitchell.
“Tweeting this after Arnold got arrested, top-tier trolling from admin,” Eagles fan J1 wrote on X.
“The admin has been on a generational run this offseason with the sneak diss posts,” NBA Slime wrote on its official X account.
“Y’all know what you doing with this tweet LMFAO,” Texas Fly Eagles Fly wrote on its X account.
Lions fans were quick to point out that the Eagles have players with their own histories of legal transgressions.
“Good troll job, but Jalen Carter literally killed someone, and he’s on your team,” Lions fan Jude Bellendham wrote on X in response to the post praising Mitchell.
Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and also an NFL All-Pro, was involved in a road-racing accident that ended with the deaths of a teammate and team staffer following his final season at the University of Georgia.
Authorities Say Arnold Orchestrated Kidnapping
Arnold was arrested on Wednesday night for his role in a February kidnapping in the Tampa area.
“The State Attorney’s Office will file charges against Detroit Lions player Terrion Arnold following his arrest in connection with a February robbery and kidnapping in Tampa,” the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office wrote on X on Wednesday night. “Arnold is facing multiple felony charges which carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison.”
According to police, Arnold was the “primary conspirator” in an armed robbery and kidnapping on February 4 in Tampa, in which 3 victims were held at gunpoint, beaten, and pistol-whipped, over a previous theft from an Airbnb that Arnold was renting, in which $250,000 in property was stolen.
Police later determined that none of the victims had any involvement in the theft.
On Thursday, Arnold was ordered held without bond until a pre-trial hearing on Monday, where prosecutors will argue to have him held without bond until trial.
Eagles Appear to Troll Lions With Post Following Star’s Arrest