The beef between former teammates C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay, if there ever was one, has been squashed. In March, Gardner-Johnson took exception to comments Slay made about future leadership in the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Gardner-Johnson says he’s putting that behind him.
Speaking with Houston Texans’ reporter Aaron Wilson, Slay cleared the air.
“Let’s clear this Slay (stuff) up now,” he said, via this tweet from Wilson. “I got no problem with him. He’s a respectable vet. I ain’t never going to hate on someone like that. When that real Florida (personality) walk in that building, they know.”
Some context. In a March episode of his podcast, Slay discussed which Eagles’ player would take on a larger leadership role in 2026. He pointed to safety Reed Blankenship. Those comments miffed Gardner-Johnson, who expressed that feeling on Twitter/X.
“You would think feelings would be mutual after a great season but …… aye twin keep that s*** solid,” Gardner-Johnson said in response to Slay’s comments.
Gardner-Johnson tweeted about the situation several more times, flipping between claiming everything was fine while pointing out the veteran presence he brought the team. Slay responded, tweeting he wasn’t pointing criticism towards Gardner-Johnson and mentioned Blankenship because of his role on the team’s leadership council.
Ultimately, what may have made the comments blow over was the fact neither of them are in Philadelphia. Slay was released, a move he anticipated was coming and prompted him to discuss the team’s future leadership in the first place. He signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Days after Gardner-Johnson’s response, he was traded to the Houston Texans, though there’s no proof his comments played a role in being moved.
Unless they square off in the playoffs, The Steelers and Texans aren’t slated to play each other in 2025, meaning C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay won’t share the field this season. With Slay turning 35 before the regular season ends and likely to retire in the offseason, the two probably won’t meet in helmets and cleats again. Whether or not they “meet” on social media in the future remains to be seen.
