NFL legend Michael Irvin threw a flag on the play when he realized his son was trying to boost his street cred.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer publicly criticized his son Elijah Irvin, who goes by the rapper persona of Tut Tarantino, during an episode of “Undisputed” in October 2023. Irvin made it clear that his son was not from the rough streets and instead grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
“I got a son. He raps. His rap name is Tut Tarantino,” Irvin said. “If you ever listen to some of his raps, I’m like, ‘Oh my god. Where does this come from, son?’ You grew up in a gated community your whole life. But he’s rapping my life. But he’s rapping my life because romanticize and fantasize that old ‘thug life,’ ‘ghetto life’ and all that stuff. When we used to work to get away from it, we’ve now somehow gotten to a place we’re running back towards it.”
The conversation about Irvin’s son began as part of a larger conversation about Ja Morant’s detrimental behavior and the individuals the young NBA star chose to surround himself with.
“Everybody is not meant to go where you’re going,” Irvin said during the episode.
For the first time, Irvin’s son, Tut Tarantino, has spoken up about his father’s words on ESPN.
Tut Tarantino sat down with the “On the Floor with Chore” podcast on June 22 to share his thoughts about his father’s comments.
“I’ll tell y’all some crazy sh— that don’t nobody know,” he begins. “I’m in prison, I’m in a facility when when this s-t happens… I’m locked up. I’m locked up, some sh— called ISF. You do a program so you can get reinstated back into your probation.”
Tarantino went on to explain the six-month rehabilitation program where he was sent to prison in Texas as part of his probation. He explained that he was on the phone with the mother of his children when she played him a recording of his father’s remarks on ESPN.
“So I’m on the phone and I am listening to this sh— and…. my adrenaline started rushing,” Tarantino recalled. “I’m shaking a little bit, but I’m like, ‘Damn, that sh— crazy!'”
He continued, “At first, I was little hot though. I was a little mad about that sh—. But then, I seen what my Pops was saying wasn’t what people ran with.”
Tarantino went on to reveal that once he calmed down, he understood his father’s true message. He explained, “What I took from it is, he was saying our generation… it’s a lot more people moving how they thought they had to move when they was younger to get from where they was.”
“It’s a lot of people damn near doing that sh— for fun…. but I’m my own man,” Tarantino continued. “I’m 25 years old. Regardless of if he mentioned my name in that situation or not, I don’t feel like he was calling me no liar or nothing like that. He was just saying … as an example, ‘My son is a rapper. Why is my son talking about the things he talking about, and he comes from where he comes from.'”
Tarantino’s comments set off a flurry of reactions on social media, with some accusing him of sidestepping the question.
“Way to avoid the question,” someone commented under the Instagram video.
“Bro said a whole bunch of nothing,” another person wrote.
“Boy can you stop!!! Most of us would give the world to be in your place and you out there making a fool outta yourself,” a social media user pointed out.
“Good for Michael, doesn’t want his kid to end up in that life,” someone reacted on X shortly after Irvin initially made the comments about his son.
“Wow. Get them booked into family therapy asap,” another person said.
Tut Tarantino continues to follow his dreams of making a name for himself in hip-hop. On July 13, the 25-year-old performed in Dallas at his dad’s restaurant, Playmakers88, with his dad in attendance. The former Dallas Cowboy also has three other children, Michael Irvin II, who played tight end at Florida Atlantic, Myesha Beyonca Irvin, and Chelsea Irvin.
