Tennessee Titans rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat made waves with his performance against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. He may not have recorded any numbers on his stat line from that game, but his presence was felt by Caleb Williams and the rest of the Bears’ offensive line.
His performance was strong enough that NFL analyst Brian Baldinger called Sweat “T-Pain” after the game. But Sweat actually prefers a different nickname.
Titans’ Sweat says he appreciates @BaldyNFL calling him T-Pain, but that his real nickname is “Meatloaf.”
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) September 11, 2024
Looking through the comments, you can find this video of him explaining how he got his nickname.
When asked where he got the name, Sweat replied, “My Godmom.” And someone then asked if it was related to the dish, to which he said, “No, the crazy thing is I was playing a basketball game, I was playing in a basketball game when I was young. Outta nowhere she’s like, ‘Get him, Meatloaf!’ Since then, that’s been my nickname.”
So, the answer is no, Sweat did not get the Meatloaf nickname from eating a ton of meatloaf as a kid. Instead, his Godmother gave him the name randomly during a basketball game.
Whether you like T-Pain’s innovative and industry-changing use of auto-tune or Meat Loaf’s wide-ranging vocals and acting chops, T’Vondre Sweat’s athletic prowess is as unmatched as the talented artists he’s now referred to. He is fast drawing the attention of teams around the league who need to prevent him from disrupting their offense, and analysts are touting him as the next big thing defensively.
Sweat’s talents will be badly needed against the New York Jets on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how the Jets handle Meatloaf’s power and athleticism.
