Baltimore Ravens legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed has never been shy about speaking his mind, and this week he took to X just as Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey became the center of some very different attention.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Humphrey, placekicker Tyler Loop, punter Ryan Eckley, and long snapper Nick Moore spent a day off at an event with President Donald Trump in Baltimore County. Reed’s reaction was a blunt two-word post on X: “S**ker mf”
The post landed as the four players drew scrutiny for attending the event. Trump appeared at the Tradepoint Atlantic site at Sparrows Point, where a $3.7 billion shipyard redevelopment is expected to create more than 3,100 permanent jobs, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The trip began with a team meeting the day before. Humphrey, the longest-tenured defender on the roster, approached teammates about the chance to meet the president. Loop shrugged it off as an open invite and described his reaction simply.
“Sure, that sounds fun,” Loop said.
Humphrey told reporters that the economic scale of the project interested him, and he pointed to his own local real estate investments as part of the pull. He also made it clear that he did not see the visit as a political statement.
“To be honest, I did not vote. I don’t think I’ve ever voted. I did try to vote this last time, but my absentee ballot didn’t come in. So, I don’t really have any political beliefs. I do plan on voting the next time around. I am extremely uninformed on what laws are going on, to be honest. But this next time the ballots are up, I will do my research and try to figure out what I like, what I believe in, and try to pick the side that kind of aligns with me.”
That is worth noting given Humphrey’s history on social media. The Baltimore Sun reported that the four-time Pro Bowler has mentioned Trump several times since 2020. Following the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Humphrey wrote that Trump had “took a bullet for America.” In May, he wrote that the “fake Trump hate” was funny to him. The Baltimore Banner has counted more than 20 posts about the president.
Eckley, a rookie, framed the day as a once-in-a-lifetime experience rather than a political one.
“It has nothing to do with politics. Republican, Democrat, whatever, Green Party it doesn’t really matter. I thought, just the experience of being around a sitting president is so one-of-a-kind. I think that’s something that so few people get the chance to do. Regardless of political affiliation, that was something I would have been more than happy to do.”
Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was asked whether the outing was a distraction. He said no, and he stressed that players act on their own when they use their time off. “The guys have the right and the freedom.”
The event had its odd moments. Trump moved through topics ranging from the war in Iran to oil in Venezuela, and he sent well wishes to quarterback Lamar Jackson, who hurt his ankle in the recent win over Tennessee. The line that stuck with the players was Trump calling Moore “handsome” after admitting he first assumed the long snapper was a coach because of his salt-and-pepper beard.
The four players were photographed shaking hands with Trump and later holding autographed hats, some reading “USA” and others “Make America Great Again.” Baltimore entered the week at 3-1, tied with the Cleveland Browns atop the AFC North.
Reed’s Reaction Fits a Pattern of Public Pushback
Reed’s post is not his first public objection to the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the White House posted a video that mixed football highlights with footage of military strikes in the Middle East, and it included a famous Reed hit. Reed answered on X within days.
“I do not approve this message,” Reed wrote.
He has also been blunt with peers before. In 2020, after Drew Brees said he still opposed kneeling during the national anthem, Reed wrote that Brees was “a straight sucka” over those comments. That history helps explain why a two-word reaction from Reed draws instant attention in Baltimore, where he remains one of the most respected figures the franchise has produced.
“Why do you think all of these young people are out here protesting?” Reed said. “Why you think they’re out here protesting? The looting? I can see you speaking on the looting and saying that’s bad and you don’t support that. But why you think all these young people out here protesting?”
Neither the NFL nor the Ravens have indicated any discipline. Players are free to spend their off days as they choose, and Minter’s comments suggest the team views this as a personal matter. The open question is whether Reed’s criticism fades with the news cycle or lingers in a locker room that is off to a strong start.