Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate lost a bet to wrestler-turned-actor The Rock. So the Motor City star made good on that bet on Wednesday.
Betting on the outcome of a game is something that happens all the time, whether that be between friends, family, co-workers or even something done professionally. A nice, friendly wager is almost as American as Apple Pie.
But when it comes to one’s alma mater, things can easily get very personal. As loyalty to one’s former college or university can force someone into a bad bet or two. That was the case for Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate recently.
A couple weeks ago, Tate reached out to former Miami Hurricanes defensive end-turned-professional wrestler-turned Hollywood A-List actor “The Rock”, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, to make a friendly wager. As a former All-American wide out for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tate messaged The Rock about placing a bet on the upcoming game between their two alma maters.
https://twitter.com/ShowtimeTate/status/929336398519328770
The Rock responded, and the bet was on.
I’m down my Golden friend. Don’t take the ass whuppin’ personal. It’s just business. 😂 Gonna be a great game. Our boys will play hard. Here we go.. #TheU 🙌🏾 https://t.co/TdbWmS4GYS
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 11, 2017
Now that the wager was in place, what were the stakes going to be?
https://twitter.com/ShowtimeTate/status/929459449785225217
The Rock accepted, swiping a jab for a jab in his response.
https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/929467806751514625
For those that don’t follow college football, the Hurricanes destroyed the Irish 41-8 the Saturday before last. In fact, the game wasn’t even close as Miami was up 34-0 late into the third quarter.
https://twitter.com/ShowtimeTate/status/929544928979435520
Since that game, Tate ordered and had been waiting for a custom Miami jersey to be delivered so he could make good on his wager with The Rock.
https://twitter.com/ShowtimeTate/status/931273389859155968
On Wednesday, the Lions receiver paid in full. Tate wore a Hurricane’s #94 jersey with Johnson’s name on the back, in front of the press, for all of the social media world to see.
. @ShowtimeTate paying off his bet to @TheRock pic.twitter.com/HjExctbis3
— Noah Trister (@noahtrister) November 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/Lions/status/933404042990145539
Johnson, after one final jab at Tate, graciously offered the Detroit Lions receiver a slew of complements, calling it a “fun” bet.
https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/933411670633758720
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The wager turned out to be a great way for both The Rock and Golden Tate to have a bit of fun and honor their alma maters while sharing it all with their fans. Although I’m pretty sure Tate wishes the outcome of the wager had been somewhat different.