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Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo unloads on ‘major problem’ he has with Stetson Bennett playing college football at 25
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo wasn’t ready to pat Stetson Bennett on the back after the Georgia quarterback led the Bulldogs to their 2nd straight national championship.
The longtime sports personality, who hosts “Mad Dog Unleashed” on SiriusXM and is a weekly guest on ESPN’s “First Take”, discussed the “major problem” he has given the fact that Bennett is 25 years old and still playing collegiately.
“Twenty-five years of age, playing quarterback for Georgia? He should have left after last year,” he said. “I didn’t know that he was that old.”
While Russo noted the fact that several punters in college football are older — usually those from Australia that came to the U.S. after playing rugby — he argued that an older quarterback is a different story. He also mentioned that he “had a problem with it” when former Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy as a 28-year-old in 2000 and, in fact, didn’t vote for him to win for that reason.
“How about, if you’re 40 you can play? What is the cut-off date?… When does it get to that scenario when it gets to be a joke? 30? What is the age? There’s got to be an age when it’s enough already.” he wondered.
In Russo’s defense, Bennett very well could have left for the NFL last season. But the rest of it is a good old-fashioned hot take at best and a straw-man argument at worst. Perhaps Russo should just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Georgia fans certainly will be making their feelings felt about this particular opinion, that’s for sure.
Mad Dog Russo has a huge problem with Stetson Bennett leading @GeorgiaFootball to another championship at age 25.#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/FRXxIxcXjv
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) January 10, 2023
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
