Wait, When Did Tyrod Taylor Go Back To Being TIE-Rod Taylor? What Happened To TUH-Rod Taylor?

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The Baltimore Ravens drafted Tyrod Taylor in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He never started a game for the team in four seasons. The quarterback left and went to Buffalo where he spent three seasons with the Bills, starting 43 games from 2015-17.

During that time, EVERYONE pronounced his name "TIE-rod" Taylor. He left Buffalo and went to Cleveland.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an NFL reporter named Aditi Kinkhabwala tweeted (it was Twitter at the time) that everyone is pronouncing his name incorrectly. According to her, one of his Browns teammates told her during the preseason that his name is actually "TUH-rod" Taylor. Not "TIE-rod" Taylor.

As a member of the media and someone who covered the NFL, I vividly remember this change. From then on, people made sure to call him by his preferred pronunciation. In NFL broadcasts that season (where Taylor started four games for the Browns), announcers called the quarterback "TUH-rod" Taylor.

So, last week during an OutKick staff meeting, one of my colleagues (Zach Dean) mentioned "TIE-rod" Taylor after news that New York Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered an injury. I dutifully corrected him -- somewhat sarcastically, if I'm being honest -- that his name is "TUH-rod" Taylor.

"Right, sorry," Dean replied.

Imagine my surprise when I tuned into Sunday Night Football on NBC and heard the Giants offensive starters introduce themselves.

So now we're back to "TIE-rod" Taylor!? All those years we spent calling him that and then out of nowhere we had to change course and now he just goes right back to "TIE-rod" and we're supposed to just nod our heads and go along??

New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor is apparently back to the former pronunciation of his name,

New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor is apparently back to the former pronunciation of his name, "TIE-rod." (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Look, I get it. We're living in a day and age where people can call themselves whatever they want. Perhaps Taylor just feels more like a "TIE-rod" right now than a "TUH-rod."

Or, maybe, when the Chargers doctor stabbed him in the lung, he had an epiphany. Maybe he thought, "You know, they'd have never tried to collapse 'TIE-rod's' lungs, but 'TUH-rod' had it coming."

Either way, we need to know. Tyrod Taylor can't just change his name back and not say anything.

The people demand answers!

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.