NASCAR fans rip NFL for posting ‘ignorant’, ‘disrespectful’ video

The NFL put out a seemingly innocuous and heartfelt video in a tweet on Sunday ahead of the NFC matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The video featured Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. doing a special handshake with a “young fan”. As many NASCAR fans pointed out, that “young fan” is quite famous in his own right.

It was Keelan Harvick, the 12-year-old rising star race car driver and son of former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. And Kevin Harvick was right beside him, looking on.

Not all professional athletes walk into a facility with a “look at me” attitude, so it’s not like the NFL’s tweet not mentioning the Harvick name is some kind of criminal act.

And there were plenty of positive comments as well, many of which from non-NASCAR fans who probably wouldn’t have known the Harvick name even had they been told.

Having said that, the criticism is somewhat justified.

Not only is Kevin Harvick a renowned NASCAR driver, but he literally works for Fox. The Cowboys-Panthers game was aired on Fox, and the NFL even made mention of that fact in the tweet