Former Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King bravely claimed he would "dominate" rugby union. Photo / Instagram
NFL star Marquette King has come under fire after claiming he would "dominate" rugby, a sport he has never played professionally.
And the All Blacks' official Twitter account had the perfect reply.
King โ who is currently a free agent โ represented the Oakland Raiders as a punter for six seasons before signing with the Denver Broncos in 2018.
He was the NFL's punting yards leader in 2014, and starred for the St. Louis BattleHawks in this year's inaugural XFL season.
Although he has not competed in the NFL since 2018, the 87kg punter rustled some feathers on Saturday after boldly proclaiming on Twitter: "If I played rugby I would dominate it easily."
What King did not account for was the global popularity of rugby union, and the 31-year-old inevitably copped a flood of backlash for the contentious tweet.
"You're welcome to join us for training anytime," the All Blacks' official Twitter account replied to the tweet.
A former All Black also chimed in.
Jerome Kaino tweeted: "Would love to see it brother."
Rugby World Cup-winner Neil Back, England prop Ellis Genge and former Ireland fullback Simon Zebo each shared their thoughts on the American's claim.
Even Fiji Rugby Union's General Manager of High Performance couldn't resist sledging King for his optimism, offering to set up a training drill with some of Fiji's most intimidating players.
Although previously serving as a wide receiver in college football, King hardly boasts the credentials to suggest he'd be an automatic rugby union powerhouse.
In hope of settling the debate, King created a Twitter poll asking, "Which sport would you find the better overall athlete?"
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After more than 22,000 votes, rugby comfortably trumped American football by acquiring 78.6 per cent in the final results.
King was eventually forced to back-pedal on Sunday after the relentless backlash continued.
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