Bucs' parrot pick in 2018 NFL Draft was a huge let down for everyone

Jordan Heck

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Bucs' parrot pick in 2018 NFL Draft was a huge let down for everyone image

Before the 2018 NFL Draft started, the league announced that a parrot would announce a 4th-round pick made by the Buccaneers.

The news obviously grabbed people's attention, because it really highlighted the spectacle that is the NFL Draft. Televising seven rounds of players being selected into the league isn't enough, there has to be some excitement. So naturally people wanted to see how exactly a parrot would announce a player being selected.

Even PETA got involved saying, “…these unique, intelligent birds are at risk for stress and injuries when they're used in stunts like this one, and mishaps can even cause death." 

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Well, the 4th round came, and the parrot, named Zsa Zsa, didn't even announce the pick. It just sat on a person's shoulder while they made the pick.

This was clearly a huge let down for everyone tuning in to watch, and people were not happy about it.

Reaction to the Bucs' parrot

Why didn't the parrot talk?

Well, it turns out the parrot wasn't never actually supposed to talk. The parrot's role in the pick was to deliver the name, written inside of a card, from one part of the stadium to the pirate ship located inside of Raymond James Stadium.

Greg Auman from the Tampa Bay Times clarifies:

Just to be clear, the parrot is delivering the name to an announcer, not actually reading out the pick. Even if you had a simple name that was likely to be available at No. 102 in the draft, the bird might struggle with some of  the smaller schools. And to be clear, the bird is not delivering the pick itself to the pirate ship — difficult, even with a smaller player — but the name of the pick.

Still, we're all very disappointed with what occurred today. 

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.