The real Eagles-Packers star was a shirtless Birds fan with a Phillie Phanatic tattoo
“A lot of people are asking where Gritty is. It’s coming," said Rob Dunphy's fiancee, Taylor Bond.
![Eagles fan Ron Dunphy from Bridesburg, Pa. shows off his Philly Phanatic tattoo at Lambeau Field on the night the Eagles beat the Packers 34-7, on Thursday, September 26, 2019.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/ZANImdtqbnsACCt_3_c0pv0SBgM=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MMXU34EBN5BUVE6NWH3AVZVNK4.jpg)
Carson Wentz outgunned Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers Thursday night to lead the Eagles to a 34-27 win, but the real star of the game was a Birds fan with a Philly-centric collection of tattoos on his torso.
A shirtless Rob Dunphy became a viral sensation on social media thanks to his skin mural showing, among other things, the face of the Phillie Phanatic tattooed over his belly button and an I-95 emblem smack in the middle of his chest in the claws of an eagle (97.5 The Fanatic host Natalie Egenolf wondered why he didn’t include orange cones).
Dunphy, who lives with his fiancee Taylor Bond in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia, made the trip to Green Bay by car with his father and a few friends. Bond said Dunphy travels to at least three away games every season, and caught the eye of Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery following the Eagles’ loss to the Saints during last season’s playoffs.
Bond said friends and family were tagging photos of Dunphy all night long, and Dunphy’s not even halfway finished covering his body in tattoos.
“I wish he would get it all finished already,” Bond said. “A lot of people are asking where Gritty is. It’s coming ... I believe he’s going to be coming out [from] behind the Phanatic. Not 100 percent sure.”
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Eagles fans who use Dish Network and SlingTV couldn’t watch the game
A lot of Eagles fans were upset Thursday night when they were greeted with a black screen while attempting to watch the Birds game.
Earlier Thursday afternoon, Dish Network dropped Fox and channels like FS1 and the Big Ten Network from its lineup amid a carriage dispute. The move, which also impacted the SlingTV streaming service, came without warning and caught many Eagles fans in the Delaware Valley off guard.
To make matters worse, the game also appeared to be blocked on the NFL Network for many Eagles fans due to local blackout restrictions.
According to Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, it was Dish Network’s decision to black out Fox, which said the channel could continue to air while the two negotiate.
“Dish/Sling elected to drop Fox networks in an effort to coerce us to agree to outrageous demands,” Fox said in a statement. “While we regret this is DISH/Sling’s preferred approach to negotiating, we remind our loyal viewers that the Fox services are widely available through every other major television provider.”
Fox also cut a series of pre-planned commercials urging Dish customers to switch providers.
If the dispute continues, football fans relying on Dish/Sling won’t be able to watch Penn State’s prime time match-up against Maryland on FS1 Friday night, or any college and NFL games that air across Fox channels this weekend.
Quick Hits
• Longtime Eagles broadcaster Merrill Reese was among those angry at the officiating Thursday night, and was especially critical during a review of an Eagles offensive pass-interference penalty in the second quarter that ultimately was overturned.
“The officials will be wrong once again. Where did they get this crew?” Reese said, calling the game on 94.1 WIP. “The referee is Clay Martin, who tonight is a clay pigeon.”
• Wentz couldn’t get through a post-game interview on the NFL Network without Eagles fans taunting the Cowboys by chanting, “Dallas sucks!"
• I sampled each of the different audio feeds offered by Amazon, and really had fun listening to the U.K. English-language call offered by Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth, who is also the Philadelphia Union’s color analyst.
“Tension builds. A few minutes ago it didn’t appear likely that the Eagles would have the chance of taking the lead,” Rae said, just as Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert hauled in a second-quarter touchdown. “But that’s exactly what they’ve done! Touchdown! Goedert!”
The other audio feed, featuring Hannah Storm and Philadelphia native Andrea Kremer, put more emphasis on Goedert’s decision to jump into the stands.
“Wait, are you allowed to do a Lambeau leap?” Storm asked. “Oh, I don’t know,” Kremer responded.
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