A heated social media back-and-forth between Bussin' With The Boys host Taylor Lewan and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver turned ESPN analyst Andrew Hawkins has been unfolding since Tuesday over CFL rules. However, the two former NFL players have now resolved the situation over a phone call, and a large part of the credit appears to go to former CFL linebacker and actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
"Don't want to go into it too much here… but I hopped on a call with @TaylorLewan77 and we talked it out like men," Hawkins shared on X. "We agree to disagree on some things, but overall agree we are both fathers, sons, uncles, nephews, brothers, and cousins and that neither of us were proud how showed up in the last 24 hours. We good. Thanks to @TheRock for connecting us via text."
It's not hard to see why The Rock stepped in to cool things down between Hawkins and Lewan, who spent nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Tennessee Titans as an offensive tackle. Johnson played defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes , even winning a national championship with them. He then went undrafted in 1995, before signing with the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL after graduating.
Calgary later moved him to linebacker, though his football career never fully took off, partly because he spent much of his college career behind elite talent. As someone who had the experience of playing football in the CFL, when the debate between Hawkins and Lewan sparked over rules in the league, it made sense for Johnson to step in as the peacemaker.
It all started when Lewan shared a clip from a 2024 game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In that game, the Argonauts beat the Roughriders 20-19 after kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 40-yard field goal wide left, only for the ball to travel through the end zone for a game-winning single, also known as a rouge under CFL rules.
Lewan was amused at what he had just seen, and posted the clip on X, writing:
"This is the dumbest rule I've ever witnessed. You missed a kick but it hit the back of the end zone so you get a point to win the game? So dumb."
Naturally, that caught Hawkins' attention, and the former Bengals receiver quickly jumped in to defend the CFL's rules. In response, Hawkins wrote:
"Typical NOOB, jumping on twitter to give his opinion on a game he watched for the first time ever. "Bring that sh*t north of the border and see what me and Saskatoonians do to you!!!"
It's easy to understand why Hawkins felt the need to defend the CFL. Before his NFL career, the former wide receiver spent two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. During that stretch, he recorded 41 receptions for 457 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding 57 rushing yards.
However, once Hawkins defended the rule, the debate quickly escalated, with both former NFL players continuing to take shots at each other while arguing over the CFL.
Once Andrew Hawkins responded to Taylor Lewan's criticism of the CFL kicking rule, things quickly escalated into a pretty intense back-and-forth between the two former NFL players. Lewan fired back by writing:
"Just cuz I never got the once in a lifetime "opportunity" to play in the CFL doesn't mean the rules aren't dumb as hell. Standing on business for Canada football is CRAZY WORK 😂😂😂."
Hawkins, though, wasn't about to let it slide. This time, the former Bengals receiver doubled down while trying to give Lewan a history lesson on the CFL. He replied:
"The fact you think you had what it takes to play in the CFL, shows how much you don't know smh…Maybe you should google how those rules have been in place long before American football was even a thing. Come on up .. so we can teach you a thing a two."
Lewan then took things a step further, claiming that in his prime, he would've dominated Hawkins on the field and that, had they ever faced each other, he would've stopped Hawkins from winning a Grey Cup. Hawkins answered back by saying Lewan wouldn't have even earned a spot on a CFL roster, writing:
"BIIIIGGGGGGG chirps from a guy who's Michigan wolverines too a big a– L to Toledo when he was in College. In CFL you can only have 19 Americans on each roster, so they typically only sign "imports" that present a different skill set than Canadian born players…
"Unfortunately for you, they could pick up a Taylor Lewan at any convenient store in Canada. Cam Wake text me and said 'I had a 3 sack quarter against the Lewan-Lead Titans OL and I can promise I saw better resistance against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the CFL'"
Fast forward to 48 hours, and the social media feud between Hawkins and Lewan has officially been resolved, thanks in part to former Stampeders linebacker Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
The post Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Plays Peacemaker to Squash Beef Between NFL Legend Taylor Lewan & Ex-Bengals Receiver appeared first on EssentiallySports . Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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