There’s no doubt that some NFL players have crazy choices when it comes to pet an animal. For instance, Dez Bryant petted a monkey, or Darnell Dockett had a pet tiger. Well, their choices are definitely strange, but we also can’t ignore Kansas City Chiefs’ running back, Carson Steele, who has a weird and unique pet at home!

The 21-year-old rookie tailback, Carson Steele, has an alligator as his pet at Indiana home. This alligator, named Crocky J, weighs about 100 lbs and is 5½ feet long. Scary, isn’t it? Well, Steele, when he was a kid, learned to handle his pet alligator through trial and error. To hold his pet, he developed an instruction manual for it. So first, you have to grab its tail and secure it under his arm, and then place a hand on its belly to control its movements. Any mistake, like letting your hand too close to his head, can lead to a painful bite. And Steele knows this very well, as he has encountered its bite.

During an interview, Carson Steele recalled an incident where his pet alligator, Crocky J, bit him. He expressed, “I don’t even know if my mom and dad know this one. But when I was younger, I was trying to show him to my friends and something happened. One of my friends moved or something and I turned and looked the other way and he got me a little bit. That was the one time.”

So, was it a painful & harsh bite? Well, if you ask Steele, he would probably say yes, somewhat, because this bite drew “just a little bit” blood, leaving an impression. But it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it could have nearly killed the Chiefs’ star if it had been big enough and his inattention had led to that!

Despite its scary build up, Crocky J has been hitting the headlines in this 2024 season opener, and quickly this alligator has become the fans’ favorite.

Fans want more Crocky J than Taylor Swift?

Carson Steele’s pet, Crocky J was recently featured on the NBC broadcast of Thursday’s Kansas City season opener against the Ravens. As soon as it was featured on national television, fans began to pour in their comments for the unusual pet. One even asked the NFL to have more Crocky J visuals than Taylor Swift’s, by writing, “Let’s get more Crocky J less Taylor this season.”

While many fell in love with the alligator, with someone hilariously commenting, “Just learned about Crocky J and I would die for him.” Even another NFL fan just claimed that they are “here for Crocky J.” So, it seems Crocky J has already become a star this season, besides Swift.

Carson Steele, who got this pet from his father when he was in second or third grade during Christmas, has kept it back at home with his parents in Indiana, in a big aquarium. And as per reports, Steele is currently working “on getting the proper documentation for the alligator to come to Kansas City.”