Whenever there’s Noah Lyles on the horizon, there’s always some kind of controversy that follows. His “World Champions of what? The United States?” statement didn’t only trigger a lot of NBA fans and stars, but after winning the 100m Olympic gold, he further stated that even Super Bowl winners shouldn’t claim themselves as the champions of the world.

Eventually, this statement triggered NFL fans, and players like Tyreek Hill got offended. He also challenged the track star to sprint him in a 40-yard distance, but many times Lyles ignored the proposal. However, recently, the 27-year-old grew weary of the ongoing discussions and expressed a desire to finally race the NFL star. As soon as the fans received this message, they rushed in with their own opinions, none of which were positive.

Noah Lyles ready for some NFL heat

Sitting and attending interviews is something that Noah Lyles has become accustomed to, owing to the off-season in track and field. Therefore, the track star’s desire for some sprinting action has prompted him to challenge NFL’s Tyreek Hill to a 40-yard dash, as evidenced by his X profile. “Let’s Set this up a Track Vs. NFL Event,” said Lyles.

To illustrate his point, the 27-year-old responded to a social media post from his own Beyond The Records Podcast, in which he and his fellow Team USA athletes, Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway, were engrossed in discussions about the drama surrounding specific NFL players. So what deal did these three track stars make with each other?

As seen on the video, Lyles asked Holloway if he would race Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf. To which the American hurdler had a straightforward reaction, stating, “Of course.” So, the 100m Olympic champion wanted his teammate to propose to the NFL player a 40-yard dash, and Holloway agreed to it and followed his instructions. Furthermore, the American hurdler expressed his desire to witness Christian Coleman vs. Xavier Worthy, prompting Benjamin to intervene and insist on hosting all these featured races during the upcoming Pro Bowl.

Why is that? The crossover that these track and field athletes are demanding would only bring more attention to both of the sports. However, it would significantly boost track and field, which has been underrepresented due to a lack of exposure. Therefore, conducting an exhibition race between these track stars and NFL stars at the Pro Bowl would generate significant attention and benefit both sports. All of them are prepared to compete against other athletes, and this cross-sport journey is something that many, particularly the fans, are eagerly anticipating. However, the NFL fans had a distinct reaction to this challenge.

Not so happy with the track star’s bold statement

In the podcast, Noah Lyles was looking very relaxed while challenging these NFL giants. As it caught traction among the community, the fans of that sport weren’t so kind to the track athlete, as one stated, “Lol imagine if he creates all this hype and then gets smoked by Tyreek, I’d retire if I were him and it happens!!” Another fan made a bold assumption, stating, “Are you winding up your career?”

Since Budapest last year, Lyles has faced criticism for his statements against popular leagues such as the NBA. Now, he is facing a similar backlash from one of the world’s largest leagues, the NFL. However, during the Paris Olympics, when he first got engaged with the football community about not accepting their players as “World Champions,” Hill was one of the first NFL players to challenge him for a dash. The turmoil between them even grew further when, during an interview with NBC Sports, Lyles ignored the race requests made by Hill in a trolling manner, stating, “What’s the cheetah guy from football? Well, I can’t remember his name.”

After numerous back-and-forth between the two, the world might finally be able to witness them race each other on an eventful Pro Bowl game night. However, despite his accepting the sprint, which would put an end to a lot of speculations, fans just aren’t about to let him go without some cheeky remarks, such as one stated, “First this guy wanted to take on NBA and now the NFL, come on dude we all know you can’t handle the smoke.” 

It’s not the first time that Lyles has caught himself among the heat of NFL fans, as his statements are something that always brew up big controversies in the community that it is directed towards. Despite his status as an Olympic champion, the community has a deep understanding of their football players and is confident in their potential to outperform even a professional sprinter.