Just days after calling Belgium “Weak,” legendary NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III watched his words bounce back hard. Belgium rolled past USMNT 4-1 in the Round of 16, sending USMNT home, and leaving RG3 to wrestle with a different kind of fallout, one he started himself with a tweet aimed squarely at American fans.

In one tweet, he called out Americans for rooting against the USMNT. In another tweet, he noted, “We lost because (Belgium is a better team); we weren’t a united front as fans.” Tired of fielding questions about his tweets, RG3 decided to clear up the matter on his Outta Pocket podcast and hammered his point home for good measure.

“I put up for the fans because there’s this massive debate going on online about whether we should support Team USA or not,” RG3 said on the podcast. “And I said if you’re an American citizen, and you’re not rooting for your country against Belgium, then you’re a traitor. Like, what are we talking about here? I can’t trust you. If you can’t root for your own country in the World Cup, I can’t trust you. I put that out, it goes nuclear, and people are mostly supporting, but it’s like I understand there’s people who have other country ties.”

Co-host and Robert’s wife, Grete Griffin, also pushed back alongside RG3, noting that she’s been an American, Portuguese, Brazilian, and more throughout the tournament, depending on who was still in the running. RG3 pointed out that if you’re an American citizen, you’re American first when the U.S. plays. He clarified he wasn’t talking about dual nationals with ties to other countries, but fans with no connection to the opponent who still chose against the U.S.

Regarding the backlash on his tweets, RG3 clarified that despite being born in Japan, he’s an American citizen and a “military brat who loves God and loves his country.” He then went on to defend his stance.

“You can love your country and still disagree with some of the things that happen inside of your own country,” he added.

As for the game itself, on the field, the USMNT looked overwhelmed from the start. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the first half, putting Belgium ahead early and never letting up. Malik Tillman’s free-kick in the 31st gave a brief spark, but the U.S. defense crumbled, missing assignments and ultimately getting punished for it. The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 in Seattle.

Robert Griffin III’s tweets hit even harder after the final whistle, as he noted, “We looked like a team that calls it soccer, not football.” But even as RG3 points at the fanbase for being divided, none of that fixes bad defending or a midfield that got run over. At the end of the day, the U.S. lost because Belgium was better, not because some fans didn’t clap loudly enough.

The debate over who to root for won’t end here. But the real issue is performance, not loyalty. Until the USMNT can back up the noise with results, fans will keep splitting their allegiance, and RG3 will keep talking about reasons for that heartbreak.