Ian Rapoport Appears To Joke About Surviving In A Russian Prison

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Ian Rapoport had a very awkward moment on live TV involving potentially surviving Russian prison.

Russian prisons have been in the news a bunch ever since Brittney Griner was arrested and given a show trial on drug charges in the authoritarian country. She was sentenced Thursday to nine years.

Well, the topic was apparently being discussed by Rapoport, James Palmer and Andrew Siciliano off-air, but unfortunately made its way to live TV.

Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

"Listen, if Ian thinks he can survive in a Russian prison, which apparently he believes, a tackle from Nathaniel Hackett is the least of his problems," James Palmer said during a hit on the NFL Network with Rapoport right next to him.

"That was not really for air, but sure. I would say that's true," Rapoport immediately responded with a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face.

As you can imagine, people were quick to direct their fire towards Rapoport for apparently believing he can survive in a Russian prison.

In moments like this one, it's important to slam the brakes on the cancel culture bus. Just because Twitter is fired up doesn't mean anything in the real world.

We have no idea what the full conversation was off-air, and that's obviously where it should have stayed.

Ian Rapoport jokes about being able to survive in a Russian prison. (Photo by ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Given the fact Griner is essentially a hostage of Vladimir Putin's dictatorship after being sentenced to nine years, it's not the best time to be joking about Russian prisons.

However, people acting like Rapoport did something unforgivable need to take a deep breath and relax. Foolish comments for live TV? Sure.

Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. (Photo by EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A fireable offense? Not in a million years.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.