Former NFL star stuns ESPN panel by revealing he tortured snake

ESPN’s Harry Douglas turned heads when he advocated for the torture of snakes at the end of the sports network’s morning show Get Up.

The crew of Get Up, led by host Mike Greenberg, were discussing a photograph posted on Twitter by ESPN college football writer Heather Dinich of a snake peaking its head out of a pot with one of her plants when Greenberg asked Douglas to weigh in.

“That’s my sis right there, we worked in college football together,” Douglas said. “Now Heather, I found a snake in my house a few years ago — and I tortured that little sucker because he could have got to my kids. I lit him on fire, Greeny. So if I was Heather, I would have poured gasoline on him and lit him on fire and got rid of him.”

Greenberg and Alan Hahn reacted with shock as Douglas went through the story.

“Well that wasn’t what I expected at all,” Greenberg said as Hahn felt the need to check that he was hearing Douglas correctly.

“You lit him on fire?” Hahn asked incredulously.

“Oh, sure did,” Douglas responded as Greenberg brought the day’s programme to a close. Mediaite reported on the exchange earlier on Tuesday.

Douglas, an analyst on ESPN’s football coverage, spent ten seasons playing in the NFL playing wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans.

A graduate of Jonesboro High School in Georgia, he went to college at the University of Louisville and caught 15 touchdowns over his final three seasons before graduating and moving to professional football.

Get Up, led by ESPN veteran Greenberg, airs on weekday mornings between 8-10am EST. The show premiered in 2018, shortly after the end of the radio and television programme Mike & Mike that Greenberg hosted for many years with former NFL offensive lineman Mike Golic.