Raiders star Maxx Crosby breaks silence after viral sideline shove of assistant coach draws fan backlash
The push that Raiders star Maxx Crosby gave to Las Vegas linebackers coach Mike Caldwell was nothing more than a “love push,” the All-Pro defense claimed after viral footage of the incident sparked controversy online.
“Mike Caldwell Is My Guy,” Crosby wrote on X, curiously choosing to capitalize the first letter of each word. ‘One of the best people in the business. That’s (sic) A push of love, stop reaching.’
Crosby went one step further with reporters on Monday following Sunday’s 32-13 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Mike Caldwell is a great guy,” Crosby said, as quoted by Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “We have a great relationship and we do that all the time. It’s like when people look at it, ‘Oh, they’re losing and then Maxx pushes him.’
“That’s how we play football,” Crosby continued. ‘We are grown men. We are alpha males. We don’t greet each other the same way… The camera gave a bad impression. It looked like I was throwing him out of the club, but that didn’t happen at all.’
Maxx Crosby angrily pushed Raiders assistant Mike Caldwell during the loss to the Steelers
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (left) and linebackers coach Mike Caldwell (right)
Crosby’s push to Caldwell was nothing more than a ‘love push,’ the NFL star claims
The push didn’t endear Crosby to Raiders fans, who are right to be concerned after the team’s 2-4 start.
“Trade request coming soon,” one user suggested.
“Unacceptable, trade him to the Chicago Bears,” said another.
“Not okay,” a third wrote. “Really, really not okay.”
Crosby, the self-described “Alpha male,” performed well in the loss, recording two tackles for a loss and three hits on quarterback Justin Fields. But despite its strong effort, Pittsburgh still gained 183 yards on the ground, helping the Steelers to a nearly four-minute advantage in possession.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell was up and down in his first start, completing 27 of 40 passes for one touchdown and an interception.
Las Vegas is currently awaiting the return of injured wide receiver Davante Adams, who has been mentioned in trade rumors.