As Lizzo's fame continues to rise, the curiousity about the "new man on the Minnesota Vikings" continues to grow.
Lizzo became the most-nominated artist for the 2020 Grammy Awards, mostly thanks to her song "Truth Hurts." That song alone was nominated for three individual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
And if you've listened to the song, then you know a line in the chorus goes, "New man on the Minnesota Vikings." But just who is this new man? No one seems to know, but players on the Vikings want to find out.
Who is the new man on the Minnesota Vikings?
There are a few clues we can go off to determine who this player is.
For starters, the song was released in 2017, so when looking for candidates, we have to keep this in mind. Also, Lizzo has only talked about this line briefly. In an interview with YouTuber Zachary Campbell, she confirmed that she did go on a date with a Vikings player.
“This Minnesota Viking was in my DMs,” she said. “And we were chatting, we were texting, we went on a date.”
There's also this from the Detroit Free Press:
With her 2017 single “Truth Hurts” now bounding onto the charts thanks to the Netflix movie “Someone Great,” the singer offered up a tidbit about the “boy problems” referenced on the track.
“Y’all want to know a secret?” she told the Saint Andrew’s crowd. “The person I wrote that song about is from Detroit.”
It's hard to know whether the Detroit reference Lizzo is referring to is the new man on the Vikings, or the man she's annoyed with in the song. Let's assume both avenues are possible.
Vikings players chime in on Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts'
Receiver Stefon Diggs has been speculated a lot, but he's said multiple times it's not him. He recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to explain that he's just as curious as the rest of us.
Who is @lizzo's "new man on the Minnesota Vikings?" @stefondiggs promises to find out pic.twitter.com/ZCf5abx6d7
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 21, 2019
Tight end Kyle Rudolph is also intrigued, and confirmed it wasn't him either. But speaking on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this week, he brought up the Detroit thing as well. He knew fellow tight end Tyler Conklin was from central Michigan, so he said he went and asked him.
"One of our other tight ends is from Detroit, so I had to go [to him] immediately and he said, nope, it's not him. So I'm still searching," Rudolph said.
Hey @KyleRudolph82.. Who is @lizzo dating? #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/OpNfq3Ds8t
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 19, 2019
This leaves the final suspect, and most assumed player: linebacker Eric Wilson. Wilson is from Redford, Mich., which is a suburb of Detroit. Wilson signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2017. Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" was released on Sept. 19, 2017, so the timelines match up.
This theory has been out there for a while, but surprisingly no one has asked Wilson yet whether he's the man being referenced.
UPDATE: Wilson spoke with Vikings.com in December and denied being the "new man" in the song.
“I did hear about that, and a lot of people hit me up asking if I’m the new man or have any type of connection. But I don’t. My mom actually hit me up last [month] asking me questions about that … my uncle, a whole bunch of friends. But it’s not me. I need to do some more investigating.”
Wilson said his teammates kept asking him about it, but he denies any relationship with Lizzo.
So if the Michigan thing doesn't have a connection (and there's a strong possibility it doesn't considering the context) then that leaves other options available. One interesting theory is cornerback Terence Newman who played on the Vikings from 2015 through 2017. He's currently on the Vikings' coaching staff.
This theory isn't as solid, but the evidence is his last name: Newman. Or new man. Coincidence? Probably.
