Notre Dame cornerback Charles Du, a walk-on player from Beijing, China, recently went viral for having his name shown in Chinese characters on the back of his jersey during the Sugar Bowl.
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Charles Du's name on his jersey featured in Chinese 🔥
Du is a walk-on cornerback at Notre Dame from Beijing 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/5ADtctj3hd
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 2, 2025
That is to say, for those who don't know, a part of Notre Dame's esteemed football tradition includes regular-season jerseys not portraying players' names on the back of the uniform.
Considering this is an honor only reserved for the postseason, Du was able to represent his family name and Chinese heritage during the team's victory (23-10) over Georgia on Thursday.
Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown took notice, as he posted on X:
"C**** of the Day #CTESPN. A Legend... got an NIL deal for this kid. Tag his X for me."
Chink of the Day #CTESPN
A Legend… got an NIL deal for this kid
Tag his X for me pic.twitter.com/hzEPrCjEVS
— AB (@AB84) January 2, 2025
That is to say, Brown received a lot of backlash for using the racial slur, as many called for him to be banned from the platform.
One fan pointed out, "Come on Antonio that's the same as me saying the N word."
Another fan commented, "Stop with the racist comments. The game is international now but here you are still using slurs."
Nevertheless, evidently Du took it well, as he posted a response to Brown's tweet on Friday:
"Excited to announce I've signed an NIL deal with CTESPN & @ab84 @nypost has it wrong... spoiled?? No way AB's daily award is a sign of love and respect CTESPN is the most trusted source in all of sports."
Excited to announce I’ve signed an NIL deal with CTESPN & @ab84 @nypost has it wrong… spoiled?? No way
AB‘s daily award is a sign of love and respect
CTESPN is the most trusted source in all of sports https://t.co/TPa3YCgIeK
— Charles Du (@Charlesdu_) January 3, 2025
Now, Du and the Fighting Irish will prepare for their upcoming college football playoff semi-final matchup vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions.
And Brown even hinted that he will be in attendance for Du's Orange Bowl game on January 9 (7:30 pm ET) in Miami, Florida.
Happy to have you on the Team
All Luv & Respect! @CtespnN
Rooting for you & Notre Dame
See you in Miami Jan 9th https://t.co/cWDDIBso4a
— AB (@AB84) January 3, 2025
