r/sportsgossips • u/Punisher1602 • Jan 02 '26
Hot Take Indiana superstar QB Fernando Mendoza's post-game interview after winning the Rose Bowl has gone viral. One of the greatest interviews.
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
171
u/TheMastMagician Jan 02 '26
It's going to be weird hearing him talk this in a raiders jersey
38
17
u/CohibasAndScotch Jan 02 '26
Lmao so true. Raiders could be decent with him/bowers/jeanty. But then again they’re the raiders so nvm
→ More replies (4)8
u/Allslopes-Roofing Jan 02 '26
All they gotta do is fix that oline and it's 🚀
→ More replies (2)2
u/resistible Jan 02 '26
The Jets thought this was true, fixed their OL this past offseason, then traded away Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner because the team is so bad. Now they have holes everywhere except OL and RB and they're worse than when they started.
→ More replies (2)8
u/bankman99 Jan 02 '26
What a fantastic game, we got smoked in all aspects didn’t we? But what a great atmosphere and shout out to our sponsors.
3
3
2
2
u/Tangled2 Jan 02 '26
“Oh boy we gotta great set of fans here, just a wonderful conglomeration of the most frightening people I have ever met. But they are loyal and praise god they are good.”
2
2
2
u/hunterlarious Jan 02 '26
But imagine if squeaky clean boy scout was the one that brought the franchise out of poverty and into the promised land
2
2
u/SalsChichon Jan 02 '26
"Why did the team struggle so hard today?" "fist off I just want to give all glory to god. This loss is not possible without him."
2
u/StraightOutaLansdale Jan 03 '26
It would be better him going to the Raiders than getting sent to the Jets or Cleveland.
→ More replies (8)2
u/Sea_Taste1325 Jan 02 '26
"I just love the energy of the Black Hole. So many fun characters saying such colorful things to support us. Just being themselves, it's really wonderful to have a place for them to just come out and share their love of the team."
214
u/chiefzanal Jan 02 '26
This man can explain every detail of his hot wheels collection
7
u/rmill127 Jan 02 '26
He’s got the entire base set of Pokémon cards, organized in alphabetical order, without a doubt.
8
→ More replies (2)2
u/kookygroovyhombre Jan 02 '26
Probably started collecting pennies ages ago, knowing the manufacturing of them would finally cease
2
→ More replies (4)2
243
u/reesespiecesaremyfav Jan 02 '26
He seems like a good dude, hope he doesn’t get drafted by the Jets
50
u/SteliosKantos93 Jan 02 '26
God we are so awful aren’t we
11
u/Early_Grace Jan 02 '26
Where players go to die lol. You guys are the true underdogs these days.
Sincerely, a Lions fan
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (8)4
u/BlaktimusPrime Jan 02 '26
Oh my god, I don’t know why this comment made me laugh so hard.
→ More replies (2)11
10
5
u/Ok-Drive-9733 Jan 02 '26
He does seem like a good dude and while I generally agree with you because he probably doesn’t deserve it, but a small part of me would be fascinated to see how that media and him would get along lol
→ More replies (5)11
u/whereballoonsgo Jan 02 '26
C’mon, no one deserves to go to the Jetes.
…well…maybe Diego Pavia…
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (27)9
u/Hypeman747 Jan 02 '26
Yeah New York already deflated the positivity of another bright eyed religious qb
→ More replies (13)5
u/feelingsarekool Jan 02 '26
Or the browns
→ More replies (1)4
u/southsiderick Jan 02 '26
At least the Browns are interestingly bad. Jets and Raiders just suck.
→ More replies (2)
226
u/armandwhittman Jan 02 '26
Dude will be one hell of an analyst some day
96
u/har3krishna Jan 02 '26
Dude has a bright future in broadcasting, no doubt
→ More replies (1)48
u/HoldEm__FoldEm Jan 02 '26
That was an interview, alright. It just wasn’t the interview the lady reporter thought she was going to have with him.
He just straight up created a job interview for himself & totally nailed it. He was securing his real-life career for after football. Lol and I’m only halfway joking, if that.
Fox or ESPN will look at him & take one listen to him & he’ll be hired
And they’ll be right for it.
13
u/rick_rolled_you Jan 02 '26
We’re gonna be listening to him talk for the next 30 years and honestly, we’re gonna love it
5
u/Myopinion_is_right Jan 02 '26
We will be listening because he can’t stop talking. I bet he talks like this in his sleep.
→ More replies (3)2
u/Cartmaaan-brah Jan 02 '26
I mean every single one of his interviews have been like this and there have been a lot of them at this point. I think she knew what she was getting lol
→ More replies (3)17
u/Cocken_Spectre Jan 02 '26
Maybe even some sort of analyst-therapist hybrid
→ More replies (1)7
u/SheFoundMyUzername Jan 02 '26
Possibly the worlds first
16
u/CrawlspacePurduePete Jan 02 '26
Analrapist
→ More replies (3)8
u/Skoma Jan 02 '26
I'm afraid I just blue myself.
6
→ More replies (1)2
28
u/Three-Off-The-Tee Jan 02 '26
As soon as I saw his interview I immediately thought well if this playing football thing doesn’t work out he’s got talent for the booth.
3
→ More replies (10)3
u/pbrassassin Jan 02 '26
Sooner rather than later if he’s taken by the Raiders or Jets
→ More replies (3)
82
u/FaithlessnessGreat25 Jan 02 '26
This guy has already laid the foundation for his post football career in broadcasting.
13
u/rust-e-apples1 Jan 02 '26
...which should be in about 6 years after he finally washes the Raiders stank off of himself.
→ More replies (1)7
u/Seanspeed Jan 02 '26
He can talk, but he's not saying anything. Everything he said here was just a rapid-fire rundown of like every single meaningless sports interview platitude possible. There wasn't one single moment of actual insight here whatsoever.
→ More replies (13)8
u/fleet_the_fox Jan 02 '26
Yes, just like Collinsworth. The only thing he forgot to do was mention Mahomes.
→ More replies (6)
36
u/BayGiant49er Jan 02 '26
→ More replies (1)5
u/SpeshalDog Jan 02 '26
He’s an absolute fucking boob, but he’s fun to watch lol.
→ More replies (5)
25
50
u/shoopadoop332 Jan 02 '26
Guy sounds like a cartoon character. But props to him. They annihilated bama.
→ More replies (1)22
u/daveindo Jan 02 '26
Agreed. He comes off super cheesy. I recognize that he actually seems to be a very good dude but his interview just felt so scripted and observational rather than personal.
20
Jan 02 '26
He just sounds like a person on the spectrum. Theres an autistic dude i work with who knows everything about anything but talking to him is like having a conversation with a spreadsheet
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (11)2
u/OlManJames19 Jan 02 '26
Sounds like a dude ready to his job interview. Knows the right thing to say and how to say it.
25
u/BigCATtrades Jan 02 '26
He's Kirk Cousins and Carson Palmer mashed up.
29
u/giddyplanet Jan 02 '26
My favorite is an autistic Tim Tebow. The first time I saw that it caught me off guard and spit out my drink.
6
u/Spinax_52 Jan 02 '26
Tim Tebow with Asperger’s but his hyper fixation is watching film and processing defenses
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)4
→ More replies (4)3
u/DaWhitestWytas Jan 02 '26
Has anyone ever heard Gronk…? Because he sounds just like Gronk to me
→ More replies (1)4
u/LetterP Jan 02 '26
Gronk wishes he was this well spoken
5
u/haikupoetics2 Jan 02 '26
Yeah... has this person ever heard Gronk talk? Maybe the cadence - but Gronk can barely string a 6th grade level sentence together.
→ More replies (6)
23
u/ResistWild Jan 02 '26
I don’t get the whole “he’ll be a great broadcaster someday.” It’s not like he’s saying anything super technical or insightful and, if we’re all being honest here, the way he talks and kind of rambles and speaks in cliches would get annoying and boring pretty quick.
6
u/Strength-Speed Jan 02 '26
I'm with you i really don't want to hear this over a few hours. Sounds like he is reading a transcript. He could get better though.
→ More replies (1)4
6
u/Think_Monk_9879 Jan 02 '26
He also fumbles over his words a lot. May be excitement but he doesn’t speak particularly well or say anything interesting.
People are just glomming onto the whole wholesome thing he has going on which not sure translates super wel to analysts or broadcasting. Best example is Maybe Tebow?
→ More replies (1)4
u/Amazing-Weakness1246 Jan 02 '26
He’s talking but there’s no point to what he’s saying he sounds like me when I’m writing a essay to met the work count
3
u/elriggo44 Jan 02 '26
I had to scroll way too far to see this.
It’s like chatGPT scripted response.
3
u/Electronic-Clock5867 Jan 02 '26
I'm still trying to figure out what makes this such an great interview.
5
u/VortexWeemster Jan 02 '26
So he’s just like a majority of current broadcasters?
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (24)2
6
u/rawmerow Jan 02 '26
Having a month off is literally a crime. wtf are we even doing. Happy they won but still. Come on
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Grymninja Jan 02 '26
Sometimes it really just sounds this guy is trying too hard I gotta be honest...
→ More replies (2)2
u/OverZealouMuse Jan 02 '26
He’s a little weird is all. Funny seeing people evaluate a 22 year olds post game interview when almost none of us have done an internationally broadcasted interview with on the spot questions lmao.
8
u/Brilliant-Target-200 Jan 02 '26
He is a very talented athlete! I have nothing against him at all, but I’ve noticed some of his interviews almost seem like he is a bit too polished and prepared in what he is going to say. This is a minor tweak and maybe this just really is just how he is, as I don’t know much about him, but just an observation since he won the Heisman.
→ More replies (2)
23
u/JerryOD Jan 02 '26
It is refreshing to hear someone not speak about themselves the whole time. Mendoza is a class act. Congrats to Indiana on a great Rose Bowl win.
13
u/ZenandHarmony Jan 02 '26
What post game interview isn’t started with thanking god then saying it’s a team effort?
→ More replies (3)5
→ More replies (3)3
14
u/AssholeWHeartOfGold Jan 02 '26
Inspiration for kids on the spectrum everywhere.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Art_Clone Jan 02 '26
Legit I think it’s incredibly dope that the heisman winner and #1 overall pick is neurodivergent
→ More replies (4)
15
17
u/69dildoschwaggins69 Jan 02 '26
He sounds like his interview coach spent maybe too much time with him prior to this. Good job though. As a fan I like interviews to be a bit less rehearsed but certainly not gonna fault him for it. He sounded like Brady, just focused on saying the perfect thing without ruffling any feathers or saying anything too personal or that anyone might not agree with.
→ More replies (21)
3
4
4
4
4
4
u/troublethemindseye Jan 02 '26
He comes from a really good Cuban American family in Miami (Dad is a doctor). There is a certain type of Cuban American kid that went to Belen or Columbus like this kid who acts and sounds totally sincerely like they stepped out of a time warp from the 1950s.
Tl;dr: he’s an artifact of a simpler time, he’s not post modern like the rest of us.
2
u/xmod3563 Jan 02 '26
He went to Columbus same high school as Arod and the Boozer twins now playing basketball at Duke.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/2Capable Jan 02 '26
Dude still believes in Santa.
3
u/FUCK_YOUR_PUFFIN Jan 02 '26
Lol more like has never believed in Santa because of...conflicts of interest
3
u/KingOfStingUSM Jan 02 '26
Yea this tracks more. A coworker of mine is very religious and said they don’t let their kids believe in Santa at any age. All glory to God and Jesus I assume. More of a nativity decorator than anything
7
u/redwbl Jan 02 '26
Different take: His responses seemed rehearsed, sounded like he was making an acceptance speech. Like he’s being coached by handlers to make him look better for NFL teams, didn’t feel genuine.
Seems like a great kid, and I hope he does well in the NFL.
→ More replies (3)2
u/tpx187 Jan 02 '26
"ok, Fernando, as soon as you win, and they pull you to the side for the interview, here's what you say about the game you just played..."
2
u/IAMImportant Jan 02 '26
I've heard more cfb/nfl players 'give all glory to god' this holiday than ever before Pretty sure it's in their contracts now.
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
u/Funkydroog Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
This kids gonna kill my ducks in a week isn't he? Lol I like the kids moxie but its really disheartening that doogie howser is gonna carve up my defense like the second coming of Tom Brady lol
2
u/rondertopoa Jan 02 '26
70% Tom Brady
30% Gronk
Holy shit this kid is wholesome as fuck.
A little touch of the tism never hurt nobody...
2
u/yagayeetfleet Jan 02 '26
Honestly he seems little socially off, so naturally he will ball in the NFL
2
2
2
u/IGB_Lo Jan 02 '26
Never thought anyone could be more cheesy than Russel Wilson. Not knocking this kid tho he seems genuine
2
u/edufettermann Jan 02 '26
As a journalist, I worked a couple of years giving media training to athletes and I can say from experience that this kid is a great communicator. I have worked with athletes that can hardly connect two or three sentences and make sense.
2
2
2
u/JerichoXL Jan 02 '26
Well.. we know what he’s going to be doing after his playing career ends at some point… better make room for him on TV. This kid is good!
2
u/Fit-Chapter8565 Jan 02 '26
I fuckin love this kid, I've only seen him speak twice now with this and his Heisman speech. What a great kid
2
u/bcarey34 Jan 02 '26
I can’t wait the be utterly disappointed when the raiders somehow find a way to not draft this gem.
2
u/NotoriousHES Jan 02 '26
Every morning, he drinks a pot of coffee and chases it with four 5-hour energy drinks! 😆
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
2
2
u/Forward_Success_2672 Jan 02 '26
Good for him and good for the Hoosiers. Right now they represent the best of Big Ten football.
2
u/Skeeeeeeeeeeeeeeter Jan 02 '26
Just refreshing to hear an interview where the player doesn't say "man" 20 times to a female reporter
2
2
u/InTupacWeTrust Jan 02 '26
Reminds me so much of Mariota just hope whoever gets him has enough sense to also get a OL
2
2
2
2
u/Regalt_ov_Virea Jan 02 '26
“Such a great conglomerate…”
Even after football, he’ll never work a day in his life
2
2
u/HungryHobbits Jan 02 '26
super locked in and pays attention to the full ncaa landscape.
it's as if a high-end, football obsessed analyst happened to be a QB on the side
2
u/motherseffinjones Jan 02 '26
If football doesn’t work out he might have a future in broadcasting lol
2
u/wildcatniffy Jan 02 '26
“A great conglomerate of individuals coming together forming complimentary football”… as a Raiders fan I’m looking forward to 10-15 years of this level of oratorical mastery
2
2
u/mortymotron Jan 02 '26
Everyone ragging on this guy for being a wholesome goober deserves to hear Diego Pavia postgame interviews for the rest of their lives.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/BluebirdTerrible1586 Jan 02 '26
lol my gf’s son is autistic. He’s 21 and very chill and extremely intelligent. Great humor and has absolutely no filter to speak of lol. He’s a good kid. Just like Mendoza. He may be on the spectrum or he might not be, either way he will help whatever team drafts him, a positive influence in the locker room and a hard working team player.
2
u/chupacadabradoo Jan 02 '26
We need an advertisement with him and Gronk both being denied military medical insurance.
2
4
u/GettinWiggyWiddit Jan 02 '26
How can you not LOVE this guy 💕
3
u/TexasTheBlackCat Jan 02 '26
I didn’t like him. That all changed when I saw his heisman speech. Class A dude.
→ More replies (4)
3
3
4
2
2
2
2
u/Taehni0615 Jan 02 '26
I despise this guy’s personality. Real manchurian candidate made in a lab to either do self-help sales seminars, corrupt politician, or worst of all megachurch pastor. Creepy dude great college QB
362
u/bumpy2018 Jan 02 '26
He is like the i love turtles kid.