Maxx Crosby inadvertently gave quarterback Gardner Minshew the nickname “Lil [EXPLETIVE] boy.” When the Las Vegas Raiders played the Indianapolis Colts last season, Minshew was mic’d up and the mics picked up Crosby calling him the name over and over again.
Well, the name stuck and has followed Minshew despite him now being on the Raiders. After the first day of offseason programs, a photo started making the rounds online of Minshew wearing a sweater that said, “Lil [EXPLETIVE] boy” on it. Many media outlets ran with the story as if the shirt was real. However, that’s not the case.
According to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill, the picture is fake and the whole thing has been a hoax.
“An image of Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew wearing a sweatshirt making light of his past rivalry with new teammate Maxx Crosby was not authentic, a source close to the team said,” Hill wrote in an April 18 column.
The original altered image came from an account on X called Raiders Posts. They’ve frequently been able to trick people into thinking altered images are real and they got a lot of people again with the recent Minshew photo.
Gardner Minshew Excited to Work With Antonio Pierce
The Raiders moved on from Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer this offseason and the only quarterback they added was Gardner Minshew. He’ll compete for the starting quarterback job. Minshew has bounced around the NFL in his career but is hoping Las Vegas can be a long-term home.
He’s excited about joining the team and working with head coach Antonio Pierce.
“Everything I’ve heard is incredible,” Minshew said of Pierce on the April 19 episode of “The Rush.” “Couldn’t get better reviews; it doesn’t even sound real. Being around him a little bit seems legit, which is really exciting. Just being around the guys in the building, everybody is on the same page. Everybody just wants to get better; everybody wants to win. I think when you do that, I think you have a chance. No matter what you have going on, no matter who’s on the roster, if everybody’s pulling in the same direction, you have a good chance.”
The Raiders went 8-9 last season but were held back by inconsistent quarterback play. Minshew has started 37 games over his career and should be a high-level backup or a solid stopgap starter.
Gardner Minshew Reveals 1st Interaction With Antonio Pierce
Antonio Pierce has already had a major effect on the Raiders’ culture. It’s something that Gardner Minshew noticed immediately when he met the coach. He described the experience of meeting Pierce for the first time.
“It was in the building,” Minshew said. “Saw him out on the field, classic bro hug, fired up, we were both bouncing a little bit. You feel the energy, man. Really excited to get after it with him.”
Pierce is a player-friendly coach and new players are quickly learning that. There’s a reason many Raiders players vouched for him after the season. The coach’s energy was contagious through the 2023 season and it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep that up now that he’s the full-time head coach.
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