A lighthearted moment turned viral after George Kittle couldn’t resist poking fun at a San Francisco 49ers teammate following a brutal NCAA March Madness upset. As brackets across the country were being shattered, Kittle jumped in with a ruthless jab that quickly caught fans’ attention. Known for his personality both on and off the field, the star tight end leaned fully into the moment — and didn’t hold back. The exchange, which started as a simple reaction, quickly escalated into something fans couldn’t stop sharing, especially as more details about the upset came into focus. March Madness always brings chaos, but it’s the personal stakes — and locker room bragging rights — that often make it even more entertaining. Now, fans are loving the interaction, while also wondering how the teammate in question will respond. Because if history says anything, this probably isn’t the end of it. And one reply could flip the whole moment.
George Kittle didn’t do much to cheer up Ricky Pearsall following his alma mater’s shocking NCAA tournament loss on Sunday.
In fact, the Niners tight end rubbed salt in the receiver’s wound.
Shortly after Iowa — where Kittle played from 2013-2016 — knocked Florida out of March Madness with a stunning 73-72 victory in Tampa, Fla., Kittle went to his Instagram to rib Pearsall.
First, he shared a short message.
“Haha @ricky.pearsall,” Kittle wrote on his Stories. “Go hawks.”
George Kittle, an Iowa alum, poked fun at Ricky Pearsall, a Florida alum, following the Hawkeyes’ NCAA tournament win over the Gators on Sunday.
“Haha @ricky.pearsall,” Kittle wrote on his Stories. “Go hawks.”
Then he posted a meme of Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore beating up a gator.
“Ope,” Kittle said in a caption on the image, “sorry.”
When Pearsall responded with the fact that Florida won the national championship last year, Kittle replied with yet another jab.
George Kittle trolled Ricky Pearsall with a Happy Gilmore-themed meme following Iowa’s win over Florida.
“I get to troll for at least a year,” he said. “I’m good.”
“I get to troll for at least a year,” he said. “I’m good.”
Kittle then went to the comment section of Pearsall’s most-recent Instagram post and added, “Go hawks.”
For as much as Pearsall assuredly despised the smack talk, Kittle and the Hawkeyes certainly earned the right to dole it out.
Iowa, a No. 9 seed, entered the contest as a 10.5-point underdog, yet used a last-second Alvaro Folgueiras 3-pointer to score arguably the biggest upset of the month so far.
Up next for the Hawkeyes is a Sweet 16 tilt with Nebraska on Thursday, which means Niners Pro Bowler and Cornhusker alum Luke Gifford better be on high alert.
