President Donald Trump’s friendly meeting with and praise for several Baltimore Ravens players has sparked panic online.
Trump, 80, spoke at a Baltimore shipyard on Tuesday after the Navy awarded Defense tech firm Anduril a $2.9 billion contract to make submarine components. Among those in attendance were four Ravens players: long snapper Nick Moore, punter Ryan Eckley, kicker Tyler Loop and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Trump not only met them after getting off Marine One, but also had kind words for them and their team during his speech.
“Congratulations. What a team you have. You have a great team this year. And say hello to your quarterback. He’s a little bit injured,” Trump said, referring to Lamar Jackson, who has a sprained left ankle and is unlikely to play Sunday, ESPN reported. “And tell him I know his mother. I met his mother a few times in Palm Beach, and she’s a fantastic, beautiful woman. But give him my regards. He is some player. You’ll have a great year. Thank you. Thank you, fellas.”
Jackson, the 29-year-old two-time NFL MVP, grew up in Pompano Beach, about 40 miles south of Palm Beach. He and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Felicia Jones, who was his first football coach.
In January 2021, Trump commuted the gun-related prison sentence of Jackson’s childhood friend, rapper Kodak Black, following requests by Jackson and others.
Some sports fans on X, however, were wary of Trump’s praise.
“Oh no, Trump just cursed the Ravens 😬," one person wrote.
Another noted how, when Trump went to Madison Square Garden in June to see the Knicks in the NBA Finals, their 13-game winning streak came to an end—spurring rampant talk about the “Trump curse.”
“Why would the Ravens players volunteer to visit Donald Trump, this man is bad luck. Just ask the New York Knicks about his unwanted visit,” they wrote.
Others echoed that sentiment.
“Putting money on the falcons thanks trump,” one reacted, looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup, while another wrote: “The #TrumpCursor found its next victims.”
“RIP Ravens season,” X user @WUTangKids wrote in a post that garnered 18,000 likes.
“The kiss of death,” another agreed.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about chatter of a Trump “curse” on the Ravens.
Humphrey on Tuesday was likely to discuss with Trump football, golf and his charity work, The New York Post reported.
“Marlon Humphrey is a great talent, player, and leader for the Ravens. He is also widely respected in the locker room and the city of Baltimore,” Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz told the paper.
Humphrey, 30, has made social media posts supporting Trump. In one, he referred to him as “my president,” and after the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, wrote that Trump “took a bullet for America.”
On Tuesday night, Humphrey posted a brief video on X showing him riding in a car with Trump, who was talking with Moore about football.
“Do yall know this guy? He claims that he’s a billionaire!” he joked.
Besides the Knicks and Ravens, the notion of a Trump “curse” was raised just last week in reference to Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who had to undergo season-ending knee surgery.
Dart had introduced Trump at a May rally in New York, saying it was an “honor” and “privilege” to do so. Trump, in turn, seemed enamored by the 23-year-old, telling Fox News: “He’s a handsome guy, like a beautiful guy, and a conservative guy.”
The phrase “Trump curse” also popped up after the president intervened in the World Cup this summer to get a U.S. player’s red card overturned, thus allowing him to play in the following game. But the U.S. team was then easily eliminated by Belgium, whose players mocked the presient’s “YMCA” dance.
