Falcons RB Bijan Robinson Slammed for Using Slur During Postgame Interview

When you're a famous athlete, your entire life is under the microscope. Like celebrities in Hollywood, you're a public figure, which means that the things you say and do will be amplified on the internet pretty much as soon as the words leave your mouth.

This was a hard lesson learned by Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

During a postgame interview, Bijan dropped a jaw-dropping and shocking slur, prompting an outcry across the internet and sports world. But what did the NFL star say? Here's what we know about what Bijan said, as well as the apology he issued swiftly after.

To set the scene, it was a postgame interview on a live broadcast. Bijan had just helped his team, the Atlanta Falcons, secure a hard-won win over the Tampa Buccaneers, with the final score 29-28. The Falcons came from behind to elbow their way to the top, and fans were elated.

Clearly, so was Bijan. But Bijan's excitement seemed to prompt him to say something he later regretted.

He was referring to a play during the game that seemed to resemble the kind of play you'd see in a backyard football game.

Bijan crowed, "Smear the q---r, that’s what this is, smear the q---r" (via New York Post).

On-air colleagues seemed to instantly clock his mistake, and tried redirecting the topic. But a grinning Bijan seemed completely oblivious to what he had just said.

At least, at first.

The backlash across the internet was instant. One aghast fan wrote, "Bro said it TWICE!"

Another wrote, "I can't believe he didn't realize how bad it was right away and apologize. The fact that he said it, and then MISSED it. Wow."

One TikTok user wrote, "We called it 'smear the carrier' when teachers were around. Which means we know it was wrong, even back then." To which another player agreed, "The cover-up is the admission."

Other fans, however, defended the player. One person pointed out, "That's what we called it, though." While another countered, "Yes, but we know better in 2025. There's no excuse for that anymore."

The arguments have gone back and forth, but Bijan felt compelled to apologize.

He took to X (formerly Twitter) to apologize before a mostly sympathetic audience. The football player wrote, "Hey everyone I want to apologize for the insensitive comment I made in the broadcast. It was a football game we used to play as a kid, but that’s not an excuse."

The NFL star added, " I recognize the mistake and make sure to do better in the future. It was not reflective of my beliefs, and I am so sorry to those I offended, seriously!"

Most people seemed to take the apology in stride, but many called it insufficient, saying that there's no excuse for that kind of language in 2025.

It's unclear whether the league will take action against Bijan or accept his apology as adequate.