"Do you have a gold medal?" — NFL fans lash out at Colts LB calling Noah Lyles his "least favorite" American

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin has met plenty of athletes like Noah Lyles in his line of work. One would think that criticizing athletes from afar would be less likely from a fellow professional athlete. Franklin took to social media on August 5 to call Olympics athlete Lyles his "least favorite American." Fans responded in droves.

"Do you have a gold medal," one asked.

"He’s a world champion, something that you’re not and definitely will not be. One because the NFL is not a world championship and you play for the Colts so you’re not getting anywhere near a championship," another added.

"why hate just to hate?" another asked.

More fans questioned the Colts linebacker's dislike of Lyles.

"Lol why," another asked.

"'Least favorite'” is insane," one declared.

"Cause you’ll never be a national or world champion ??" another asked.

Why some American athletes don't like Noah Lyles

Sprinter Noah Lyles at Paris 2024 — Source: Getty

Lyles, a sprinter in the 2024 Olympics, created headlines in 2023 by saying that leagues housed in one country do not allow for "world champions." In other words, by winning the NBA Finals, one cannot call themselves world champions.

Lyles' comments were interpreted to apply to many American-based sports, including the NFL. In other words, if an NBA player can't be a world champion, despite playing in an international league with a team in Canada, then NFL players cannot as well.

Franklin appears to have been among those unimpressed with the comments, as it appears to be the only explanation why an athlete would dislike an Olympian from their own country. In addition, Lyles' winning the gold medal for the United States, makes the Colts linebacker's take generate more questions.

It appears that Franklin would prefer Lyles missed out on the gold medal rather than winning it.

As the Colts and every other team in the United States in the NFL and NBA get ready to put themselves through another demanding season, Lyles stands as perhaps the face of questioning the validity of the championship.

That is likely what rubs American athletes like Franklin the wrong way, perhaps including Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs, who have won two NFL world championships over the last two years.

Will Lyles' comments spark a feud between Super Bowl champions and the Olympic sprinter?