For those who have seen the viral image of a player who looks like the son of Kenny Powers known as Tugg Buck that has led Minnesota Vikings fans to believe he was one of the team's recent undrafted free-agent signings, we have some unfortunate news.
He's not real.
That's right. Any sort of legend that was expected to be created by the the person who looks like he spends his off-time watching "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" while crushing a 12 pack of Natty Light cans and enjoying a gas station rotisserie chicken with his bare hands will just have to be that: a legend.
While there actually is an Idaho State football team, which is where Buck was depicted to be from in the image that has been spreading around the internet, there was no such person named "Tugg Buck" on the team's 2024 roster.
If there was, however, then maybe he could have helped them achieve a better record than the 5-7 mark they ended the 2024 campaign with.
Unfortunately, Tugg Buck is not a real member of the Minnesota Vikings
What likely convinced some Vikings fans that Buck was an actual player (aside from the AI-generated image that looks immaculate) is how the team has been conducting its offseason.
Minnesota has spent the last few months making the interior of their offensive and defensive lines tougher, meaner, and nastier. So adding someone like Buck, who looks like he probably would've been one half of a pro wrestling tag team in the 1980s, seemed to just go along with everything else the Vikings have been doing to their roster this year.
Sure, it would've been fun to see Buck start scuffles with members of the Green Bay Packers, body-slam Chicago Bears defenders, and use more chewing tobacco than Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. But all of those hopes that Minnesota fans might have had for Buck in a purple and gold uniform will just have to remain dreams.