Fan Pulse: Palmer defies Buckeyes

By Neal Coolong  |   Tuesday, July 22, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

Cincinnati Bengals
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Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is not one to abide by the notion that some things are better left unsaid.

Palmer told Sports Illustrated in September of 2006 of his particular disdain of then Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. "I hate them," Palmer says of the Steelers . "I hate them even more than I hate UCLA . Yeah, it's because I'm jealous and I want what they have. I guess I'm just not that evolved."

It should come as no surprise, then, that Palmer popped off recently about the Ohio State Buckeyes - national rivals of USC, his alma mater.

"I cannot stand the Buckeyes and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts," Palmer told LA-based sports radio station (KLAC). "(The Bengals) got Keith Rivers out there and we got Frostee Rucker, we finally got a couple other ‘SC guys. It’s amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and Tressel and all the crap I got to put up with being back (in Ohio).

"I just can’t wait for two years from now when ‘SC comes to the ‘Shoe and I get to, hopefully have a home game that weekend and I can go out there and watch us pound on them on their own turf and kind of put all the talk to rest, because I’m really getting sick of it. I just can’t wait for this game to get here so they can come to the Coliseum and experience L.A. and get an old fashioned, Pac 10 butt-whooping and go back to the Big Ten."

It's not surprising that Palmer got as heated as he did. Many NFL players hold fierce loyalties to their college programs. But to make such comments while playing in the heart of Buckeye Country may seem blasphemous. It really depends which side of the state fans are from.

Bengals fans posting on BengalsZone.com seemed understanding of where Palmer was coming from, already having accepted the fact their team is led by someone outside the confines of Columbus.

The thread was titled rather unfavorably toward Palmer (Carson Trashes Tressel and Ohio State), but one poster expressed disappointment at the thought of Palmer responding any other way.

"Seems like a pretty normal response for a USC Alum to have. I would respect him less if he caved."

Some were a little more extreme, though.

"I have one Bengals jersey...Palmer. On Saturday, Sept 13 I will piss on the thing and then burn it."

On the Cleveland side of things, Browns fans got pretty vicious on The Browns Board.

Their thread was a tad more colorfully titled, and the messages weren't much cleaner.

"...Even the Bungles QB can't pretend to like the state he plays in, bet he wants to go back west and play for the 49ers when his contract is up. Wonder how their fans are going to feel about that."

Perhaps it was just another log on the fire of a longstanding rivalry between the two pro teams in Ohio. One generally neutral poster summed it up.

"That is all this mess is - bulletin board material for both teams. Just alumni jawing."
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one ...
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