Josh Rosen is opening up about some of the anti-Semitic language that has been directed towards him on the gridiron.
In a lengthy feature by Michael Silver of NFL.com that ran on Monday, Rosen, whose father is Jewish and who identifies as a Jew, revealed that he has heard taunts from opponents based on his heritage.
“I get a lot of Jewish things,” he said. “My nose, particularly. I get, like, ‘Stay the f–k down, you Jewish b—–d. I’m gonna break your f–king nose, you Jew.'”
The 21-year-old sounded largely unfazed by the offensive smack talk though.
“I really like when people try to get in my head,” Rosen continued. “I like away games more than home games. I like silencing crowds; that’s a big thing … When people really get into me, it gets my competitive juices flowing. I love seeing heartbroken fans. Some stadiums, the fans are really close to you, and they’ll call you names: ‘Rosen, go back to your hot tub.’ And when you beat them and get to turn around and wave? It’s the best.”
Rosen, who spent three seasons at UCLA, is now projected to be a high first-round pick in the NFL Draft later this week. To an extent, he has made himself a target for opponents with some of his controversial behavior. But going after somebody on the basis of race, religion, or otherwise is obviously crossing a line.
H/T Bleacher Report
