The NFL would like us to believe that punters are people, too. So, why is there such disrespect from the league when punters do great things? Second-year New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin certainly feels the disrespect. Against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Gillikin put forth one of the greatest punts you’ll ever see — this 81-yard bomb in the third quarter, turning the field from the New Orleans 19-yard line all the way to the opposing end zone for a touchback.
81-yard PUNT 💣
📺: @FOX8NOLA
📻: @WWLAMFM pic.twitter.com/kLm8PGYqvU— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 20, 2022
The punt had a couple yards of roll at the end, but that was a freaking Howitzer.
How did the NFL respond? By questioning the veracity of Gillikin’s methodology, and giving him a “random” drug test.
Punt at your own risk https://t.co/Hb0rD4oqNs pic.twitter.com/VKwKIcdOPm
— Blake Gillikin (@blakegillikin) August 21, 2022
Punt at your own risk, indeed. Last season, the Penn State alum had 83 punts, averaging 47.7 yards per punt (which ranked seventh in the NFL), and his longest was 63 yards.
So, why the disrespect now? The punter slander must stop.
