The San Francisco 49ers were one of the best teams in the NFL during the 2019 season, and an 8-0 start was nothing to laugh at. One of the biggest reasons for that perfect record was the play of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and, needless to say, his confidence was at an all-time high.
After carving up the Arizona Cardinals defense for 317 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on Thursday Night Football, the then-27-year-old signal caller had a postgame interview with Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews. Everything went smoothly, and then the 49ers quarterback decided to shoot his shot.
"8-0, how does that feel?" the Fox Sports reporter asked him.
"Feels great, baby," Garoppolo replied with a smile.
Yeah, that's right, Jimmy G hit on Erin Andrews and made her blush so much that all she could say was "Happy Halloween" in return.
Jimmy Garoppolo Interview With Erin Andrews
The QB of the UNDEFEATED San Francisco @49ers!
Jimmy Garoppolo joined @ErinAndrews after the TNF win! pic.twitter.com/eJTdw3WzeJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 1, 2019
RELATED: Erin Andrews Calls Aaron Rodgers "Old Man" for His Drink of Choice
If the "baby" comment didn't give it away, the look back and point while walking away sure did. The entire sequence was priceless, and the Niners quarterback sure didn't care, even when asked about it at a later press conference.
It turns out Jimmy G hit on Andrews right in front of her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll. He did as a joke, of course.
Erin's Husband Was Right Behind the Camera
"Feels great, baby."@erinandrews relives the famous Jimmy Garoppolo post-game interview from 2018 and if there was any spousal discomfort from her husband @jarretstoll.
Tune into full @endless__hustle interview: https://t.co/6hUU7xhJTh
Presented by: @bostonmarket pic.twitter.com/e4VnzYSsdn
— BroBible (@BroBible) February 2, 2021
"Not sure if anyone knows this. My husband was on the field when it happened. He was behind our camera guy on FOX holding my phone taking a picture. Jimmy G knew my husband was right there.
"Again, I'll take it, but he wasn't throwing game my way. Forty two years old. Sure, I'll take any of it. No, it's just an expression of like 'baby' or 'babe.' You watch all those Mic'd Ups with Brady, he says 'babe' all the time. One of my favorite things is when Edelman or Gronk does the TB 'Hey babe.' And I think that's maybe where Jimmy got it from.
"I reached out to [49ers General Manager] John Lynch because he was a co-worker of ours at FOX and I just texted him and said, 'I hope you know I'm good. That's not what he meant. I get it.' He goes, 'I know you're good.' Because I don't take things like that that serious.
"Again, Jarret was standing right there on the field. My husband was so pumped, he was like, 'Hey I'm taking pictures!'" — Erin Andrews on the Endless Huddle podcast.
It must have been tough to watch someone so handsome hit on his wife.
Social media sure had fun with the trending interview, too, with an abundance of tweets.
My reaction if and when Jimmy Garoppolo calls my Wife ?Baby?...#49ers pic.twitter.com/p4O6XLvyEx
— Michael Hauff (@TheFFRealist) November 1, 2019
"I didn't expect it to blow up like that."
Jimmy G weighed in on his Erin Andrews interview that had the internet buzzinghttps://t.co/xTryNySQPI pic.twitter.com/veutH2qcwf
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 7, 2019
erin andrews just swooned when jimmy said ?baby? and honestly who can blame her
— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) November 1, 2019
Jimmy G: ?It feels great bby.?
Erin Andrews: pic.twitter.com/Nh9uWsJBKZ
— Purdy.Young.Thing (@_cloudbrooks) November 1, 2019
Being undefeated was sure nice. Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots were the only other team to have a perfect record at the time. The NFC West might have be stacked with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, too, but the Niners proved they were there for the long run.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who played college football at Eastern Illinois, was at the top of his game back then. The Niners, led by head coach Kyle Shanahan, locked up the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs before beating the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
The TNF win and interview with Erin Andrews, however, was all the proof the quarterback needed to show he was a star.
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This post was originally published on November 1, 2019.
