Fox Sports Host Slams Skip Bayless for Criticizing Mike McCarthy's Physical Appearance

Things got a little heated during Wednesday's edition of Fox Sports' Undisputed, when Skip Bayless was rebuked by fellow host Jenny Taft for criticizing the appearance of Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

Bayless and co-host Shannon Sharpe were discussing the first episode of Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys, which premiered on Tuesday, and said they were unimpressed with McCarthy's attempts to motivate his players.

Now in its 20th year, the HBO documentary has long made its behind-the-scenes approach a calling card and this year the series is no different.

In Episode 1, McCarthy looked to rally his team during training camp with a motivational speech, encouraging his players to look forward to the upcoming season and leave last year's troubled campaign behind them.

"F*** last year," he said loudly to the team. "Charlie F***-around, he don't work here.

"High school Harry, get his ass out the fucking door. This is about winning. This is about winning a world championship. Period. Going to the playoffs ain't good enough."

Neither of the FS1 co-hosts was particularly enthused with McCarthy's efforts, but Bayless went a step further and criticized the former Green Bay Packers head coach's physique.

"This is just personal preference on my part. I'm not taking a shot at him about this, but he's a little heavy," Bayless said.

"I wouldn't want my head coach in the National Football League to not look the part at all because you've got to stay in some semblance of condition to show that you know who you are. You have some confidence in yourself, right?"

The comment didn't go down well with Taft, who told his fellow host criticizing McCarthy's appearance wasn't a "fair shot" and rebuked Bayless for his remark.

"Criticizing his appearance? I don't know if I think that is a fair shot for Mike McCarthy. I'm gonna leave it at that. [...] I don't think it is a fair shot," she said.

Bayless tried to interject, but Taft swiftly stopped him in his tracks.

"Is everyone who is a good coach as fit as you, Skip? I don't think that's a fair shot whatsoever," she added.

Just a Personal Opinion

Bayless defended himself by saying he had made clear the remark was his personal opinion and that he wasn't trying to impose his judgment on anybody.

"I said it was a personal preference, and I wouldn't want him to be my head coach," he replied.

Taft, however, wasn't done yet.

"I've actually had plenty of coaches that have not had the perfect, ideal physique, including my college coach," she replied.

"So, I don't think that's a fair shot. [...] And I'm allowed to have an opinion, Skip. I am allowed to say whatever I want to say on this show, as you do, too."

Earlier in the day, Bayless suggested McCarthy wasn't the right coach for the Cowboys, who are looking to end a 26-year wait for a Super Bowl this year.

"After watching 'Hard Knocks' last night, I'm afraid the Cowboys will have to win in spite of Mike McCarthy," he tweeted.

McCarthy, who won Super Bowl XLV while in charge of the Packers, went 6-10 in his first season in Dallas as the Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Dallas' season was derailed when Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 5 against the New York Giants.

Up until his injury, the Cowboys quarterback was on track to obliterate several NFL passing records after throwing for 1,856 yards with nine touchdowns in five games. In those five weeks, Dallas put up at least 31 points on four occasions before managing just one touchdown in the first three games without Prescott.