A number of Philadelphia Eagles took to Twitter on Friday to defend their love of hunting and fishing.
In a tweet directed at his critics, Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith said he would never stop hunting or fishing. "I love the outdoors and will fish and hunt until I can't anymore," Smith said. "Your comments fall on deaf ears."
https://twitter.com/TorreySmithWR/status/873140408829829120
The Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, a two-time Pro Bowler, then retweeted Smith encouraging him to say it even louder. "Say it wit ya chest lol," Cox said.
Say it wit ya chest .. lol https://t.co/o18KQ9JDcM
— fletcher cox (@fcoxx_91) June 9, 2017
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz chimed in to echo Cox's sentiment. "Ya @TorreySmithWR , what he said," Wentz tweeted, complete with a laugh-crying emoji.
ya @TorreySmithWR , what he said https://t.co/5BUGbLk5zW
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) June 9, 2017
This isn't the first time the Eagles stars have celebrated their love of hunting, fishing, and other outdoors activites. The three have a long history of hunting and have carried on that tradition in their lives as professional athletes. A number of other players on the team share the same passion.
At the end of his rookie season, Carson Wentz gave his entire offensive line Beretta Silver Pigeon over-under shotguns. The shotguns, traditionally used for bird hunting and sporting clays, were personalized for each lineman. The gift was a big hit with Wentz's teammates, many of whom are longtime hunters themselves.
"This is an awesome gun," lineman and hunter Allen Barbre told ESPN in December. "I'm excited about it. I don't know if I'll shoot it, though. It's pretty nice."
"I like to go clay shooting and stuff," Brandon Brooks, another lineman, told the news station. "All I've got is a home defense tactical shotgun, short-barrel, so I was looking for one of these."
Wentz has even offered to teach his teammates who haven't hunted before how to do so as part of his gift.
"I haven't really held a gun or anything before," Isaac Seumalo, a fellow rookie, told ESPN. "But I'm more than thankful for it. It looks sweet. Carson said he'd teach me how to use it and all that good stuff."
Fletcher Cox has also received attention for his love of hunting and firearms. In March, Cox's hunting trip in Texas was chronicled in a video by SilencerCo, one of the country's largest silencer manufacturers.
"Comparing shooting a nilgai at 380 yards versus coming out of the tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field," Cox said in the video. "Your adrenaline is pumping. You know that you've game planned for your opponent in football and you've game planned for that animal you're going to kill."