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The USFL aims to separate itself from the countless spring leagues that attempted to attain relevancy during the NFL's dead off-season period. From using drones to follow kickoffs and field goal attempts and the tracking technology in footballs that hasn't exactly been a hit with players to using three-point conversions, the USFL is doing everything it can to stand out.
The players are too.
In an act that turned out to be a genius PR move for the league, former Florida State Seminoles linebacker and NFL veteran Reggie Northrup, now on the Houston Gamblers, went full-blown Paul Crewe from the Longest Yard and had a cigarette in his mouth during practice. Or so we thought.
Northrup revealed to Saturday Down South that it was a prop cigarette:
“Alright everybody, I know all y’all are wondering where the cigarette come from. But listen, I do not smoke cigarettes, first and foremost... But this cigarette is a prop cigarette, it’s not real, but it’s an attitude. It’s a symbolism and an attitude. It’s an attitude that I come out here on this football field and it’s time to work today.”
Northrup's unusual reasoning for having a fake cigarette in his mouth predictably set off a social media firestorm.
One fan was charmed by the stunt:
Meanwhile, this Twitter user was already a believer in Northrup's skills before seeing him flex his attitude:
Northrup has left enough of a legacy already to have people call this a 'Reggie Northrup' thing:
Another fan went as far as calling him the G.O.A.T through an emoji.:
This fan wondered why De'Veon Smith was cut from the Maulers for refusing cafeteria food when Northrup's antics were allowed on the practice field:
These fans caught the Longest Yard reference:
The USFL can't be upset about this if it has added a few fans...
However, not everyone was impressed.
Reggie Northrup's Gamblers take on Stallions on USFL Saturday night football
For fans who may want to see how the linebacker/MMA fighter follows up this stunt, they'll have a chance to catch him play when the Houston Gamblers take on the only true home team of the start-up league, the Birmingham Stallions, on Saturday at 7 pm ET.
