Joc unveils hilarious GIF that fueled wild beef with Pham originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Joc Pederson showed up with receipts Saturday night.
Yes, he had another update on the one-sided fantasy football feud with Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham, which resulted in Pederson getting slapped Friday night and their league becoming the possible sequel to the FX sitcom “The League.”
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When Pham told reporters of his three-game suspension Saturday, he claimed he slapped Pederson because of a fantasy football dispute for allegedly misusing the injured reserve and stacking players on the bench, as well as “disrespectful” comments the Giants outfielder made about the San Diego Padres, whom Pham played for from 2020-21.
Following the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Pederson confirmed he sent a GIF to the group chat poking fun at the Padres. The GIF consisted of three weight lifters with Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants and Padres logos superimposed over their faces. The weight lifter with the Padres logo couldn't hang and dropped his weights, referencing San Diego's struggles last season in which it finished 79-83 and in third place in the NL West.
"It was supposed to be a friendly thing, just making fun of they were playing bad and just talking back and forth," Pederson said. "... Because they were a really good team, so it was kind of making fun of how they were not playing well to make the playoffs with a very talented team."
Pham didn't approve of the joke Pederson, who was playing for the Atlanta Braves at the time, was making. And he certainly made his feelings clear with five fingers to Pederson's face on Friday.
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"[Pham] didn't not like that and responded, ‘Joc, I don’t know you well enough to make any jokes like this.’ So, then I wrote back, ‘Was meant to be all fun and games. No hard feelings, sorry if you took it that way.' About two weeks later, after like Week 4 of 5, he ended up leaving the league. There’s been no communication since."
Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season ended with a Monday Night Football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 11. That means 228 days passed before Pham slapped Pederson across the face at Great American Ball Park.
"It was supposed to be light-hearted," Pederson said of the joke. "I understand everyone takes jokes differently. Like I said, I apologize for that. Looking to move past this and show up tomorrow with no distractions and help this team win a ball game."
RELATED: Joc amazingly explains bizarre Pham slap over fantasy football
The Giants wrap up their series with Cincinnati on Sunday. And yes, Pham will be sitting out yet again for the final contest of his three-game suspension.
There's still no clarity on whether or not a suspension makes a player IR eligible in their fantasy league.
