Colin Cowherd Warns Chargers Didn’t ‘Protect the Shield’ Properly

Are the Chargers going to land in hot water with the NFL due to their video?

Colin Cowherd | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers did all of the expected things during their latest NFL schedule release video. 

Meaning, the Chargers had one of the best outright schedule release videos of any team. It was high quality, creative, sent some serious shots at a variety of opponents and people and had plenty of little hidden things that people are still discovering as of this writing. 

Along the way, doing the expected things meant a slight nod or two to acknowledge all of the headlines in the NFL around Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini. 

It would make sense for the Chargers to nod at such a big story even if they didn’t play Vrabel’s New England Patriots next year. Yet, they do, so anything less than even the slightest of mentions would have been met with some disappointment. 

And yet…not everyone is super happy that the Chargers addressed the topic. 

Chargers’ schedule reveal video takes heat

Jim Harbaugh | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before all of the NFL schedule release videos were published, reports started confirming that the NFL doesn’t need to approve the videos beforehand and that the contents are at the discretion of each team. 

Translated: The NFL wasn’t going to police for particular topics. 

Appearing on his show recently, though, Colin Cowherd decided to call the Chargers’ decision to include the Vrabel-Russini drama as “friendly fire” and a mistake. 

“Protect the shield,” Cowherd said. “You want controversies to go away. That is my take. That is not smart. It gets a laugh in the room. You’re building a brand. I do not think that was smart by the Chargers’ social team. That is not protecting the shield… Social media people get fired in corporations for the wrong tweet… The NFL is run by old guys, old rich guys, I’m sorry, it is.”

It’s, well, quite the take, honestly. Lengthy, but worth the read. 

The thing is, nothing has really been out of bounds with these videos as long as they’re done in good taste. 

We are, after all, talking about the very same video that made light of a serious ankle injury suffered by Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix…by having a Halo character lob a grenade at another character's ankle for a laugh. 

This same video also made serious fun of Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, took aim at personalities like Cam Newton and even electrical substation conspiracy theories around the San Francisco 49ers. 

If the NFL were to take offense or even action over a Vrabel-Russini nod, it would be a pretty gross misuse of priorities. Maybe the league takes a greater interest in video content in future years, but even that would be pretty out of band, given how mild and light things were in this particular video.

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter