The Minnesota Vikings’ 28-22 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles cut deeper for cornerback Isaiah Rodgers than most. In the wake of the loss, Rodgers did not just face the sting of defeat, he became the target of a torrent of racist, hateful messages from fans.
He publicly shared screenshots of direct messages that included racial epithets and vile harassment. The abuse came despite his earlier standout moments this season and his proven value to the team.
Rodgers stressed that the volume and severity of the hate illustrate a broader problem beyond performance on the field. Rodgers recently took to X to make his stance very clear on the issue.
He laughed at those who told him to keep things centered around football. Fans are passionate and often deeply invested in their teams. So, their emotions go through a lot of ups and downs during games.
Despite how rooted one’s love is for their team and what they have at stake in particular games, some actions can’t be overlooked or ignored. Hurling abuses, racial slurs, and harassing players must be called out because they happen more frequently than most people realize.
“Racism is real,” Rodgers WROTE. “keep football , football. Thats not even the worst Ive Seen. Stay solid or stay silent. “F A N S” Fake Applause, No Support or Faithful And Never Switching. Pick a side and stay on it !”
Racism is real 😂😂 keep football , football. Thats not even the worst Ive Seen.
Stay solid or stay silent
“F A N S”
Fake Applause, No Support
Or
Faithful And Never SwitchingPick a side and stay on it !
— Isaiah Rodgers Sr. (@rodgers_isaiah) October 20, 2025
In a follow up post, Rodgers wrote that the recent barrage of hateful and racist comments and messages were some of the worst he has seen since entering the league. He made it clear that while fans have the right to critique play and execution, the hateful, racially-charged attacks cross a distinct line.
Isaiah Rodgers on “Revenge Game” Narrative
Before joining the Minnesota Vikings, Rodgers played for the Philadelphia Eagles. In his short stint with the Philly franchise, Rodgers became a Super Bowl champion. Ahead of the Eagles game, a narrative started doing the rounds that it was Rodgers’ “Revenge Game.”
It’s common for media or fans to run this narrative when a player, with their new team, faces their former team. In case of Rodgers and the Eagles, there was a lot of build up toward the same, but he shut all narratives down before the matchup.
“I’m trying to make the game bigger than it has to be. It’s not ‘Isaiah Rodgers’ revenge game’ or anything like that. It’s all love for me over there,” he SAID.
“It’s not Isaiah Rodgers revenge game”
👊 Vikings CB #IsaiahRodgers says he has nothing but love for the Eagles & fans
Rodgers says he went back & forth with the #Eagles for a “couple months” on a contract extension before signing with the #Vikings pic.twitter.com/t4HWg34RqB
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 17, 2025
Rodgers made it clear that there was no such intention on his part and that the game was bigger than a player. He also revealed that there was no bad blood between him and the Eagles to fuel these speculations in the first place.
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