“Was it a shove or was it not?” is the question of the hour. Expectations were high going into Week 14. But the Cowboys faced yet another heartbreaking loss (27-20) to the Cincinnati Bengals, bringing their season’s record to a dilapidated 5-8. And, as expected, fans were angry and calls for Mike McCarthy’s firing were rife. But amid all of this, like a silver lining, there were also some who wouldn’t compromise on honesty no matter how much they despise the HC…

The incident unfolded on December 9 when an X user shared a clip of Mike McCarthy’s post-game interview. Captioned “HOLY SH**: #Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy SHOVES a cameraman who accidentally bumped into him,” the video showed the HC turning around after congratulating Bengals coach Zac Taylor on the win, when a cameraman hit his face with his equipment. And, almost involuntarily, the coach pushed him out of the way, which caused the latter to lose balance of the camera momentarily. But the despite the supposed rage-bait, it wasn’t long before social media users jumped to defend McCarthy.

But before we get to that, it’s understandable where the ‘shoving’ narrative could come from. After all, the coach is not known for being the calmest of people. Case in point: Just last month, videos surfaced showing a furious Mike smashing his tablet in an outburst during his team’s game against the Atlanta Falcons—which they eventually lost 27-21. Before the incident, McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had reportedly dialed up an end-around to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on 4th-and-1 inside Atlanta’s 45-yard line. But what happened was the WR being tackled and dragged behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of three.

“I’m embarrassed by it. It’s something that at my age [60 years old], clearly there is no excuse for,” the former Green Bay Packers coach had said later while apologizing. And this time too, the stage was set to the same tune. On one hand, the Cowboys have been having their worst season since 2020, when they went out with a 6-10 record. And, on the other, every time the coach thinks they’ll bounce back, mistakes keep piling up.

Even during the Bengals‘ clash this week, the team made a crucial blunder with less than two minutes to play. As the score read 20-20, the Cowboys deflected a punt but Amani Oruwariye touched the ball trying to recover (and failed), before it was recovered by the Bengals. Three plays later, quarterback Joe Burrow threw a short pass to Ja’Marr Chase for a 40-yard touchdown, pushing the Bengals to 27-20. The Cowboys had one more shot taking possession with 1:01 remaining on the clock, but Rush’s pass attempt to Jake Ferguson on fourth-and-7 at the Dallas 48-yard line didn’t work out, ending the day on the worst note possible for McCarthy’s team.

But yet, the coach didn’t seem to be too downcast about that particular play, exuding a certain professionalism about how he handled the situation. “We actually had a return called. The tackle released, guard went down, b-gap was exposed. Nick [Vigil] took it, and then we were able to get the block. Amani Oruwariye was in a vice situation. And then, you know, he heard the roar of the crowd, and when he turned, I mean, he understands the rule, you know, of crossing [the line of scrimmage]. And once the ball crosses the line, his response was when he turned, when he heard the crowd, the ball was there and he reacted to it. So, obviously, a big play in the game,” the 61-year-old said.

Jerry Jones, on the other hand, was absolutely crushed: “Of course, that locker room is really devastated by the turn of events on the blocked kick. Obviously, we had a block kick called, made to play and then had one in so many odds turn against us…The coach said we made the play and blocked the punt, but then we had a one and X happened — after blocking the punt, we touched the ball. That’s all should be figured in before you decide to block the punt.”

“We made mistakes out there. That mistake we made at the end was, really, it was very impactful, is all I can say.”

So, of course, fans want McCarthy gone. While that’s unlikely in the mid-season—or next season, as opined by former Cowboys QB, Troy Aikman—it’s nice to see that there are still people who would back the HC when needed….

Which brings us to the absolute one-sided support that Mike McCarthy received for his “shoving” action…

Fans react to the awkward run-in

“The bullsh** rage bait this account posts is so annoying,” was the first comment to the post, which set the tone for the rest of the community. For the unversed, rage bait is the business of intentionally making social media posts as a business move, to make people angry. Why, you ask? Well, the best and the worst of things attract the most attention and engagement.

But, don’t worry. Some even took shots at the Dov Klieman, who originally posted the video. “Kleiman is all about clicks. Never real news,” and “Your posts get worse and worse every day man…”

“No he didn’t. This is false reporting,” was what one other social media user staunchly pointed out.

And then there was one who wrote, “Most obvious engagement farming,” and while another said, “And dovs streak of engagement baiting grows to 673 days!”

Then there was one user who hilariously took a shot at the Cowboys’ worsening form by writing, “Better tackle than most of his players”. Well, what can we say, the team’s season has only gone downhill since they lost Dak Prescott to a season-ending hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9 against the Falcons.

Some fans, on the other hand, blamed the cameraman for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Camera man needs to know what he is doing. He didn’t react poorly. That was just a love push,” the comment read, while another X user hilariously deployed sarcasm to write, “Prayers for the cameraman  that looked brutal. Wishing him a speedy recovery,” completed with a folded hands and red heart emoji.

It seems social media users have given their verdict. Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below what you thought of the ‘Shove’ and whether you agree with the community!