San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey might have a future in soccer when he's done with the NFL. He'd have the flopping part down at least.
McCaffrey had a hilarious attempt to get a 15-yard penalty on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was being held up at the end of a play when Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox gave him a little extra toss. Cox is a big, strong man but the way McCaffrey sent himself flying wasn't convincing anyone to throw the flag.
He definitely didn't convince the official who laughed and patted McCaffrey on the helmet after he got up from the ground. Note that even the NFL's official social media accounts got a chuckle out of it.
There are some NBA players who try to draw a charging call who would cringe at that acting.
Thankfully, McCaffrey has skills that are better than his flopping. He scored again on Sunday, his 17th touchdown this season. That tied Jerry Rice for the second-most in a season for a 49ers player, behind the record of 23 set by Rice.
It's good for McCaffrey that Cox's brutal toss of him didn't knock him out of commission for a while. The way McCaffrey went down, you'd think he was hit by a truck. Maybe it'll work next time, Christian.