Rusty Weiss
Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason sharply criticized American-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu on Tuesday, calling her post-Olympics interviews “insufferable” and questioning her decision to represent China.
Gu, born in San Francisco to an American father and a Chinese mother, announced in 2019 that she would switch from competing for the United States to representing China. That move has sparked a ton of controversy.
Esiason, a former NFL MVP, made the remarks during an appearance on his Boomer & Gio show, amid ongoing debate over Gu’s achievements and choices at the recent Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
“The Chinese government paid her a lot of money. It’s kinda funny that a communist country would pay a woman to be propaganda as a capitalist,” Esiason said.
That’s a polite way of saying she’s prostituted herself to the CCP. Gu has been inspired by money and little else. Reports indicate that China has compensated the skier substantially for her allegiance, with the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau paying her and fellow U.S.-born athlete Zhu Yi a combined $6.6 million in 2025 alone, and nearly $14 million over the past three years to support their Olympic qualifications.
Boomer Esiason Eileen Gu Insufferable: NFL Legend Blasts Skier’s “Self-Centered” Interviews
Esiason went on to acknowledge Gu’s accomplishments and attributes, then delivered his main critique.
“She’s a very attractive woman, and she’s extremely bright. She went to Stanford,” he said. “But if you listen to her post-participation interviews, she’s insufferable. She is. It’s hard to listen to.”
“But then again, it’s an individual sport by an individual person talking about herself, as opposed to talking about her teammates or the support that she receives. If you listen to her, you’re like, ‘what?’”
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Esiason also pointed out that media interviews with Gu have avoided tough questions on political topics, such as her ties to the Chinese government. If you watched NBC’s coverage, you’d see unceasing fawning over Gu, with absolutely no mention of the country she’s chosen to represent in a negative light.
“They didn’t ask her about the communist government of China,” he said. “But the thing about her is, I will say this, she’s exceptionally bright. She has her answers, she knows how she’s gonna answer things, that’s for sure. But nobody’s really asked her a tough question.”
The Chinese Olympian has taken significant heat for her unpatritotic decision, most recently from Vice President JD Vance.
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” he said.
The 22-year-old Stanford University student won two gold and one silver medals for China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, followed by two silver and one gold at the 2026 Games in Italy.
Esiason recently made headlines when he expressed strong views on U.S. Olympic athletes voicing political concerns during the Winter Games.
“Everybody should just pipe down and just do their sport and play for our country and respect the flag and respect everything that’s going on,” he said.
They pipe down … but only when it comes to Gu.