"You can't run routes. You're a running back. You're a running back," Gardner-Johnson eventually said via social media. "I ain't gonna sit here and play with you, little boy. Just because you got a little bag, people give you a little clout, and then you ain't nothing, bro."
At the time, Samuel quipped, "It just sounds like he mad I got a little bag and a lot of money, and nobody knows who he is."
During the early stages of Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and the Lions, Detroit appeared poised to secure victory and represent the NFC in Super Bowl 58. In what turned out to be a premature gesture, Gardner-Johnson waved goodbye to the 49ers fans in the crowd.
Obviously, that action didn't age well. San Francisco staged an impressive comeback, erasing a 17-point deficit in the second half to secure a 34-31 victory. It will be Samuel and the 49ers, not Gardner-Johnson and the Lions, representing the NFC in Super Bowl 58 on February 11.
Adding to the narrative, Gardner-Johnson laid a cheap shot on Samuel during the game.
When questioned about Gardner-Johnson during his post-game availability with reporters, Samuel didn't have much to say on the topic, simply stating, "You gotta get me when I'm looking, that's the only way you're gonna get me."
However, after the game, Samuel took to social media to get in the last word, trolling Gardner-Johnson with the following post.
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