Justin Simmons, a retired NFL safety who earned second-team All-Pro honors four times during his career, caused controversy on social media by criticizing ESPN's coverage of Jonathan Cooper's arrest and suspension while discussing it during a Monday Night Football broadcast. Simmons argued that the network should focus solely on players actively participating in games rather than those suspended due to legal issues or off-field incidents. This stance drew backlash from fans who pointed out differences between Cooper’s criminal charges and situations like Mike Vrabel’s relationship with Dianna Russini, highlighting flaws in Simmons' comparison and criticism of ESPN's reporting practices.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 12117: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-15
Justin Simmons was an outstanding NFL safety, collecting second-team All-Pro honors four times during his nine-year career.
asserted
Simmons → collect → career
However, now retired, Simmons should probably be more careful with his social media commentary.
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Simmons → retire → commentary
That's because Simmons stepped on something of an online landmine Monday night while he was watching his former Denver Broncos team play the Kansas City Chiefs.
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team → step → Chiefs
During the broadcast, ESPN's Joe Buck noted that Broncos' linebacker Jonathan Cooper was not in the lineup because he's currently suspended on the NFL exempt list while he awaits a Nov. 10 trial on four charges, including felony second-degree assault by strangulation of his former girlfriend.
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he → note → girlfriend
The broadcast apparently triggered Simmons, who took to his X account to make a comparative point.
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who → trigger → point
The former NFL great complained that ESPN was mentioning his former teammate during the broadcast but the situation between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former reporter Dianna Russini wasn't discussed on TV.
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situation → complain → TV
So, social media simply moved on without pushback whatsoever.
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media → move → pushback
Multiple people basically told off Simmons.
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people → tell → Simmons
They made the point that even if Vrabel's relationship with Russini was perhaps morally wrong, if one assumes it reached heights that have not been proven, it wasn't illegal.
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it → make → heights
Vrabel has been put before the court of public opinion for the relationship, but there are no allegations of abuse that will be heard in a court of law.
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that → put → law
So, Simmons found himself in a hole he jumped into.
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he → find → hole
Then, unfortunately for him, he proceeded to dig himself deeper.
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he → proceed → himself
"That’s absolute bs btw," Simmons wrote in an ensuing post as a media critic.
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Simmons → ’ → critic
You’re supposed to call the game.
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You → suppose → game
Coop isn’t playing the game and isn’t on the sidelines.
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Coop → play → sidelines
"The MNF crew is paid to cover THE GAME not the players who are not playing or even at the game.
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who → pay → game
Let's go with that flow:
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's → let → flow
Simmons is apparently of the opinion that, since his former teammate isn't playing nor on the sideline – BECAUSE HE WAS ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF CHOKING HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND AND THEN SUSPENDED BY THE NFL – the broadcast should not mention his name and situation.
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broadcast → play → name
That apparently should include a person who would be playing if he hadn't done something for which he was arrested, charged with and apologized before he got lawyered up and pleaded not guilty.
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he → include → which
He played well and was a leader throughout his career, which means he rarely faced public criticism.
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he → play → criticism
He was clearly caught off guard, then, when fans challenged his views on Vrabel and Cooper and on ESPN's right to address the matter during its broadcast.
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fans → catch → broadcast
"I have hella people in my comments (mainly Pats fans) saying an affair is not the same as an ALLEGED conviction," Simmons wrote.
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Simmons → have → conviction
However, last time I checked MNF or any network hosting a game is supposed to talk about just that THE GAME not players who aren’t there or even playing.
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who → check → players
And what's worse, the premise all this is based on is also incorrect.
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this → base → ?
That's because when the New England Patriots opened their season against the Seattle Seahawks, Vrabel's situation was addressed on national television.
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situation → open → television
NBC even included the Russini-Vrabel scandal in an illustrated timeline of the Patriots' offseason.
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NBC → include → offseason
So, yes, Vrabel's situation was discussed on TV and that was the right thing to do – just like it was perfectly correct for Cooper's situation to be mentioned on Monday Night Football.
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situation → discuss → Football
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