Kyle Brandt unloads on Russell Wilson over absurd plane workout: ‘Are you out of your mind?’
“Good Morning Football” host Kyle Brandt says he “needs answers” after Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson spent hours doing high-knees on the team’s plane during a flight to London this week.
During the latest installment of his “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” podcast, the NFL host went on a rant about Wilson’s “weird and awkward” workout — and questioned if his teammates thought it was an eccentric act by the quarterback.
“If I’m on that team I’m trying to put myself in [his teammate’s] shoes… I’m flying across the Atlantic and I’m all tucked. I got my headphones, I got my sleep mask, and I got my blanket and I’m getting my rest and I just keep hearing… somebody running on a plane is concerning usually,” Brandt said.
Wilson — who missed last week’s game against the Jets with a hamstring injury — told reporters on Wednesday that he was “doing treatment” during the eight-hour flight, which included hours of walking up and down the aisles, doing high knees and working on his legs to “make sure [he] was ready to rock.”
But Brandt didn’t seem to buy Wilson’s course of treatment.
“If I sit up and I just peel back my sleep mask and pull off one ear of my headphone and the thing that woken me and alarmed me is Russ, not running up and down the aisle, he’s high-kneeing up and down the aisle… I don’t know what I’m thinking.
“Are you thinking, A, that is my quarterback and he wants to get back with us so badly and fix this thing and right this ship and man I’ll go to battle with that guy — or are you thinking like, ‘dude sit down, we’re trying to sleep. Are you out of your mind? Sit down.'”
Brandt continued his rant by speculating whether Wilson was saying “motivational phrases” during the workout – as the quarterback has been known to do in press conferences with his infamous “Let’s Ride” tagline.
“Let’s be honest, let’s go further with this. You and I both know that if Russ is up on the plane, 30,000 feet and he’s doing high-knees up and down the aisle, it’s not just that,” Brandt said. “He is saying something, he is doing either motivational phrases or song lyrics, maybe, but there is a vocal component to it.
“If it’s truly performative. I wasn’t on the plane and I don’t know his exact medical status. Maybe the team doctor said, ‘Russ we need to get you moving around the plane. I know it’s weird and awkward and I know your teammates are trying to sleep but I really recommend you do it,’ then fine. God bless you Russ and I mean that,.”
“But I doubt that the offensive coordinator last year when he was at Seattle told him, ‘Russ I really recommend you go out there on the field by yourself and be in a make believe huddle and run a fake two-minute drill while the cameras are on, I really think you should do that.”
Brandt went on to request that “somebody leak something” to provide more context into Wilson’s workout.
“We need answers,” Brandt said. “Other Broncos players will be asked about this. I need some truth. Somebody leak something because if he was doing something to get better, fine. Unless he was told specifically by the doctor or trainer, you must run around and not only run down the aisles, do the bleeping high-knees. I mean, were there jumping jacks? Is he burpee-ing? Is he doing lotus pose in the laboratory?”
Earlier this month, Brandt took a few shots at Wilson and his wife Ciara in a separate rant following a loss to the Colts. During an episode of “Good Morning Football,” Brandt called Wilson a “poser” and questioned why the quarterback and the singer “think [they’re] that cool and famous” at red carpet events.
Wilson’s status to start and play on Sunday against the Jaguars is still up in the air. Outside of the loss to the Jets, the quarterback has only missed three other games in his career. They were all last season due to finger surgery.
On Wednesday, the quarterback expressed optimism about the Week 8 matchup.
“I feel great, ready to roll,” Wilson said. “… Hopefully get a big win in London. … I feel great, ready to rock.”
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett did not share Wilson’s status after Wednesday’s practice, but said the Pro Bowl quarterback is “trending in the right way” and that “he did quite a bit [Wednesday].”
After his arrival in Broncos country in March — following a blockbuster trade out of Seattle — Wilson has struggled to get the offense going.
The 2-5 Broncos have lost four consecutive games heading into Week 8. They are currently last in the NFL in scoring, last in red zone offense, last in goal-to-go situations and rank 30th on third down, according to ESPN.
