Fans label Ryan Tannehill 'racist' after comments on mentoring Will Levis go viral: "He was hating on Malik Willis last year"

By Henrique Bulio

Modified Nov 10, 2023 15:33 GMT

Will Levis got mentored by Ryan Tannehill, unlike Malik Willis

With Will Levis taking over as the No. 1 quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, much has been speculated as to whether Ryan Tannehill was helping his young quarterback to develop.

Last year, Tannehill said it was not his job to help and mentor Malik Willis, but when asked by the Nashville media, Will Levis said that Tannehill has been really helpful with his transition to the starting role. As a free agent in 2024, the veteran knows that this is going to be his last season with the Titans, so there's no point in trying to fight for the starter spot against a young guy.

NFL fans, however, noticed the slight difference between the way the veteran approached the development of both Levis and Willis:

Will Levis: the talk of the town in Nashville

Will Levis was the main character of one of the most agonizing scenes during the 2023 NFL Draft. As the names were being announced throughout the first night, the Kentucky quarterback, surrounded by his family, changed from happy and smiling to absolute nervousness.

He didn't hear his name called after 31 picks on the first day - let's not forget that the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their first-round pick due to tampering.

For a prospect like Levis, whose ceiling is high and floor is low, Tennessee is a good place to be in for his first years in the league. The Titans have a starter in Ryan Tannehill who, although close to leaving the team, is still undisputed.

The offensive line has also evolved and added Peter Skoronski in the first round. Of course, with Derrick Henry in the backfield and Mike Vrabel's style of more physical football, the way they've built the roster becomes even more impressive.

There's no pressure to put him on the field in a Miami Dolphins-2020 situation, with Tua Tagovailoa taking over while Ryan Fitzpatrick was doing well and the team was fighting for the playoffs. Levis is a second-round pick in a 3-4 franchise, and the team will have enough time to figure out if he can be the franchise quarterback or not.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

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