We’ve all witnessed Noah Lyles catching flak over his ‘world champion’ comment regarding NBA players. But it looks like that dig has spilled into NFL territory too. The 27-year-old is known to be boisterous, which doesn’t seem to catch anyone by surprise. However, he had dibs on that title after his impressive performance at the World Championships in Budapest last year. But many seem to have taken offense to this, particularly the Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver, Tyreek Hills.

Not only did it get a rise out of him, but he clapped back with a bold statement of his own. While this led to an uproar on social media, many fellow athletes have chimed in on the incident. Most recently, track and field star Rai Benjamin shared his own take on the situation in a casual sit-down conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. Could the hurdler’s comment finally put an end to this scorching debate?

Noah Lyles has Rai Benjamin in his corner

On an episode of Night Cap, Rai Benjamin speaks to Sharpe and Johnson about his connection with football. It’s only natural for the 27-year-old’s name to come up in conversation, and the 4000m hurdles Olympic gold medalist felt like he had to clear the air. The retired NFL legend asked him if he played football in high school, to which the hurdler responded, “I played wide receiver and free safety in high school.” Why did he eventually move to track then?

Benjamin expressed how his small high school wasn’t visited by any good recruiters back then. “So I was really good at track my freshman year so I just stuck with it.” However, he did confess that a part of him wishes that he continued playing in high school. The hurdler then made a comment that caught Sharpe by surprise. “I’m not gonna pull a Tyreek and say you know ‘I’m faster than Noah Lyles’.” Exasperated, the retired footballer asked how he knew he was going to touch upon that.

Using this as the perfect segue, the Olympian stated, “Imma say it on this show, I’m tired of the Noah Lyles slander man, that’s my guy.” This wouldn’t be the first time Benjamin has backed Lyles up. When the Tokyo bronze medalist edged Kishane Thompson out to clinch an Olympic gold in the 100m event at Stade de France, many fans expressed disappointment. However, the hurdler came in clutch for the sprinter, stating how he wished the American received more support from his nation.

Benjamin further stated, “Tyreek, you’re not beating Noah in the 100, man.” Even though the wide receiver is speedy on the field, the 4x400m Olympic gold medalist believes he is no match for the world’s fastest man. However, his next statement definitely felt like a mic drop. “There’s just no way in hell- you probably won’t even beat the top collegiate guys man.” Harsh, perhaps? It definitely felt like it. But what could have started this intense debate in the first place?

To debate or not to debate? That was the question

It’s hard not to think of the phrase, “World champions of what? The United States?” every time Noah Lyles’ name comes up in conversation. The Olympian has never shied away from sharing his unfiltered thoughts. The 27-year-old can blaze past his competitors, but drama always seems to be hot on his heels lately. After Lyles’ performance at the Paris Olympics, Tyreek Hill decided to not hold back anymore, sharing his retort to the sprinter’s bold statement.

The 30-year-old stated, “Noah Lyles can’t say nothing after what just happened to him. You know what I’m saying? Didn’t he want to come out and pretend like he’s sick. I feel like that’s that that’s like horseradish.” The sprinter had already clinched a gold medal in the 100m event at the Stade de France. Even though he was poised as the favorite in the 200m event, he only managed to bag a bronze like he did 3 years ago in Tokyo. The catch? He did all of this despite contracting COVID-19.

But that wasn’t all that Tyreek had to say. “For him to like do that and say that we’re not world champions of like our sport it says a like come on bro, like just speak on what you know about.” However, the wide receiver failed to practice what he preached. He was asked if he would be able to challenge the Olympian on the tracks. Without hesitating, Hill stated, “I will beat Noah Lyles. I won’t beat him by a lot, but I will beat Noah Lyles.” But we know that Rai Benjamin begs to differ. Who do you agree with? Let us know in the comments!