Kenneth Walker III didn’t just torch the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round on Jan. 17. He also handed Tom Brady a clean, rivalry-flavored reality check on live television.
Brady tried the friendly Michigan recruiting angle during Walker’s postgame interview. Walker answered like a Michigan State guy who knows exactly what he is doing.
Tom Brady tried the Michigan line, and Kenneth Walker III gave him the only response that matters
Walker put up the loudest stat line of the weekend. He finished with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns, then added three receptions for 29 yards in Seattle’s divisional round win over San Francisco at Lumen Field.
That production made him Brady’s LFG Player of the Game. It also set the stage for the moment that traveled faster than the highlights. Brady leaned into the college rivalry and told Walker, “I know as a Michigan State guy, we could have used you at Michigan all those years,” smiling as he said it.
Walker did not play along. He did not give a diplomatic answer. He kept it simple and landed the punchline anyway: “Go green,” he replied.
Brady fired back immediately with the only comeback he could use in that spot: “Go blue.”
Kenneth Walker III picked Michigan State over the Wink and never blinked
This is not random trash talk. Walker has made the Michigan State identity part of his NFL personality, and he keeps repping it when the moment is there.
That tracks with how his Michigan State run looked from the beginning. He committed in January 2021, climbed quickly, and broke off a long touchdown on his first play as a Spartan. He later won the Doak Walker Award and helped Michigan State reach an 11-win season.
The rivalry stamp came in the game Michigan State fans still bring up first. Walker scored five touchdowns in a comeback win over Michigan. That performance locked in the “Spartan legend” label, even though he spent only one season in East Lansing.
The reason this exchange worked is simple. Walker earned the moment before he spoke a word. He was the best player on the field against the 49ers. Three rushing touchdowns does that. Nearly 150 total yards does that. It is hard to big-time the guy interviewing you when you just carried the offense, and Walker knew it.
The funniest part is Brady walked into it. The “we could have used you” line is a compliment, but it is also an invitation. Walker declined the invite without saying no directly. He used the two words that mean no in that rivalry.
Even in the other clip from the same postgame setting, Walker kept the same energy when he wrapped the exchange with “I appreciate you, brother” and then dropped “go green” anyway.
Brady laughed it off on air. Walker got the last word. That is how these Michigan moments usually end when the Spartan has the better night.
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Natasha Bose has been covering the NFL with sharp, engaging takes...
Read MoreNatasha Bose has been covering the NFL with sharp, engaging takes that make the game feel alive for readers. She can also be found writing about the WNBA and NBA, bringing the same energy and eye for detail to every court and field. Off the beat she is delightfully extra, she will happily drag you into a 3 a.m. binge of Haikyuu!! or Sakamoto Days and then dare you to sit through The Ring or The Haunting of Hill House. That mix of sports, scares, and storytelling gives her writing a voice that’s as fearless as it is fun.
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