The 49ers seem to love Jauan Jennings, but around the rest of the league, he’s one of the least popular players.
And that’s because of his mouth. He talks a ton of trash. He also starts fights by blocking defensive backs so violently that he pushes them off the field. But his mouth is the reason he got punched in the groin two weeks ago when the 49ers faced the Panthers. And his mouth is the reason Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris was so upset with Jennings last Sunday in Cleveland.
According to Harris, Jennings said something during the game that crossed a line because he talked about players’ wives and children.
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On Monday, Jennings was asked if he thought he crossed a verbal line when he was yelling at Harris.
“He said some things,” Jennings said. “Why didn’t he say what he said? I do know (what I said) — it ain’t that bad. That’s what I do know. I’m going to just keep what I said to myself, but I know it wasn’t that bad. And he knows that. It’s funny. If he sees me to smack me, maybe I’ll find out that day.”
“What is your line when it comes to what can and can’t be said among players?” a reporter asked Jennings.
Jennings thought for a few seconds. “Killing people,” he said. “You shouldn’t say you’re going to kill someone. To me, that’s where you draw the line.”
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Has anyone ever said that to Jennings?
“That I’m going to get killed?” Jennings asked. “Come on — it’s a violent sport. I’ve been playing football for 20-something years. Of course. I’ve heard that walking down the street.”
“Is there an element to your trash talk that is strategic to try to get guys off their game?” a reporter followed up.
“It just comes back to how I grew up,” Jennings said. “Underdog mentality. The five-star recruit comes in and gets told he’s going to win, then he meets the underdog. The five-star recruit doesn’t know how to deal with that sometimes.”
So, Jennings intentionally says things to get under the opponents’ skin. Harris said that Jennings talked about his family, and Jennings didn’t deny that. He implied that trash talk about a player’s family isn’t that bad, and the only thing that should be off-limits is an actual death threat.
What an immature thing to say.
Of course, talking about wives and children is off-limits. Jennings should know better. He was raised better. He should be ashamed of himself.
He doesn’t need to talk trash to be a good player. He should focus on his play, which hasn’t been so hot this season.
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