Keyshawn Johnson, Warren Sapp reignite years-long Buccaneers beef

June 2024 · 3 minute read

Keyshawn Johnson and Warren Sapp, once championship teammates on the Bucs, are not going to be exchanging Christmas cards.

Sapp appeared on his weekly spot on Jason Whitlock’s “Fearless” on The Blaze earlier this week, and he was asked about the longstanding feud with Johnson.

The former pass rusher traced the beginning of their relationship to the 1999 Pro Bowl, when he said Johnson “followed” him around during practice and “lobbied” Sapp to help facilitate relocation from the Jets to the Bucs.

.@WarrenSapp please stop lying, I would never in a million yrs follow yo sorry ass ever. You are an embarrassment to society…sorry and I mean sorry… please keep my name out yo mouth fake ass MF..sad go get some help..tired of you using my name. Only dude I would follow is #55 https://t.co/algFz0PxvZ

— Keyshawn Johnson (@keyshawn) October 7, 2023

Sapp imitated Johnson saying, “Hey dawg, you just lost that [NFC] championship 11-6. I’ll get you that touchdown! I guarantee you, me and you come together, we’re gonna get a Super Bowl!”

Sapp said he went to Tony Dungy, who was the NFC coach during the Pro Bowl week, and supported the idea of adding Johnson to the roster.

In April 2000, the Jets traded Johnson to the Bucs for two first-round picks, which became John Abraham and Anthony Becht.

Warren Sapp reignited a years-long feud with Keyshawn Johnson. Screengrab
Keyshawn Johnson pushed back on Warren Sapp’s claim he was a bad teammate. AP

Sapp then said he took issue with Johnson not coming to Bucs camp right away, and then allegedly not knowing the playbook and taking an apparent dislike to quarterback Shaun King.

“Keyshawn, you’re not getting another quarterback!” Sapp recalled telling Johnson.

Sapp said that when Jon Gruden replaced Dungy he “pushed every button” in Johnson’s body.

Sapp continued to say that Johnson “didn’t lead us at all” and that concluded that Johnson is a “good brother” but “as a teammate I’d never take him again.”

Tampa Bay Bucs on the cover of Sporting News in 2001. Sporting News via Getty Images

Johnson threw a challenge flag on the play.

“@WarrenSapp please stop lying, I would never in a million yrs follow yo sorry ass ever. You are an embarrassment to society…sorry and I mean sorry,” Johnson tweeted.

“please keep my name out yo mouth fake ass MF..sad go get some help..tired of you using my name. Only dude I would follow is #55 [Derrick Brooks].”

Johnson then reposted a selife that Sapp took of the two recently on the sidelines at a Colorado game, adding “Someone is crazy and it ain’t me @WarrenSapp … I promise I will not respond to his silliness for at least another 30 years.”

Keyshawn Johnson (L.) and Warren Sapp and on the Colorado sidelines. X / Keyshawn Johnson

As soon as Johnson and Sapp were teammates the situation was volatile, with Chris Mortensen writing at ESPN about the “stars colliding” as far back as October of 2000.

Sapp and Johnson continued a war of words into their retirement, as Sapp called Johnson a “b–ch” in 2008, While Johnson accused Sapp in 2013 of bullying one of their former teammates.

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7kGlmaW9foLK6v8earqdlmqS1r7%2FOp2SwmaKnsq950pqnqWWimraousitnGaxlZa%2FtHnLqKWgZZKqsKStzZ6cq6tdl7Kmso4%3D