Former Falcons WR Andre Rison was an excellent player on the football field, earning four Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro selection with the Falcons in the early 1990s. He finally met his match at the NFL Draft on Friday.
Deployed as one of many guest announcers for the second and third rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, Rison stepped to the podium to reveal the Falcons’ pick at No. 35 and created more confusion than anything.
“With that 35th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Atlanta Falcons select Ruke … Orhoro … Orhoro,” Rison said, awkwardly pausing after stating Clemson DT Ruke Orhorhoro’s first name.
The ABC broadcast gets a laugh out of Andre Rison’s pronunciation of Clemson DT Ruke Orhorhoro, the No. 35 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZqvGbbfpXZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024
There isn’t much time between the pick being made and the pick being read, and there evidently wasn’t enough time in that short window for Rison to learn how to pronounce the name he was about to read.
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Rison couldn’t help but laugh when he finished, and the same can be said for the broadcasters who heard the announcement.
“I think Andre might have given it one extra syllable there,” Rece Davis said as the ABC panel laughed. Rich Eisen chimed in immediately on the NFL Network broadcast, joking, “So, Andre’s Hooked on Phonics.”
On the NFL Network broadcast, Rich Eisen said, “So, Andre’s Hooked on Phonics.” #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/TR5Dl2lB3P
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024
Rison is slated to announce the Falcons’ third-round pick, so one can only hope Atlanta’s next addition has a more digestible name.
How do you pronounce Ruke Orhorhoro’s name?
In Rison’s defense, Orhorhoro isn’t an easy name to pronounce. It’s pronounced “O-ro-ro-ro,” while Rison read it more as “Ororo … Ororo,” giving the name that one extra syllable as Davis mentioned.
Rison likely could have gotten away with the mispronunciation if he didn’t pause at multiple points during the announcement. He seemed as shocked to see the name as everyone watching from home was to hear his pronunciation, which gave both the ABC and NFL Network broadcasters a good laugh.
Rison is fortunate Orhorhoro doesn’t go by his given first name, which is Oghenerukevwe. Orhorhoro was born in Nigeria, but he and his family moved to Michigan when he was 9.
It all came full circle for Orhorhoro in Detroit, where he heard his name called in the state that raised him — just perhaps not the way he expected.
The Falcons, who traded up to select Orhorhoro, are just hoping Orhorhoro’s career on their defensive line goes smoother than the announcement of his name did at the 2024 NFL Draft.