*Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho faces online backlash for his critical comments regarding LSU star forward Angel Reese’s emotional post-game interview.
We reported earlier that Reese recently addressed the ongoing online abuse she’s been enduring since gaining stardom over the past year.
The Bayou Barbie spoke of her experiences during an emotional press conference Monday night after the LSU Tigers lost to Iowa’s Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight level of the NCAA tournament.
“I’ve been through so much,” she said, Complex reports. “I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened, I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.”
Reese added, “I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them… I’m still a human.”
Reese said the death threats began after the Louisiana State University women’s basketball team won the national championship in 2023.
“All this has happened since I won the national championship, and I said that the other day I haven’t been happy since then,” she told reporters, adding, “and it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything, and I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me. I’m going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that.”
Acho criticized Reese, arguing she shouldn’t seek sympathy as she’s positioned as the “bad guy” of women’s basketball.
“I’m about to give a gender neutral, racially indifferent take…Angel Reese, you can’t be the big bad wolf then kind of cry like courage the cowardly dog,” the former athlete stated on a recent TV appearance, The Jasmine Brand reports.
Acho continued: “If you want to act grown, which she has, if you want to get paid like you grown, which you are, if you want to talk to grown folks like you grown, which you did – post game when you told a coach from an opposing team ‘watch your mouth,’…then post game win you take an L…nobody mourns when the villain catches an L.”
Following online backlash for his criticism of Reese, Acho reiterated that being high profile comes with a “target painted on your back.”
Per The Jasmine Brand, he wrote in one post: “Dear level headed friends, Please know, I always speak out on racial & gender bias. One of the few on TV to speak on it. I have also consistently publicly supported Angel through it. However, I don’t blindly support anyone. I assess every situation individually and then speak.”
In a follow-up, Acho added: “Also, just because you disagree with one individuals actions, one time, does not mean you hate them. The job is to be an analyst, not a fan. Which means your opinions must shift as actions shift. For those in doubt, here’s proof.”
READ MORE: Angel Reese Addresses Death Threats Since National Title Win in Emotional Video
