There is no doubt that some NFL players make crazy decisions when it comes to petting an animal. For example, Dez Bryant petted a monkey or Darnell Dockett had a tiger as a pet. Well, their decisions are definitely weird, but we also can’t ignore Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele, who has a strange and unique pet at home!

21-year-old rookie tailback Carson Steele has a pet alligator in his home in Indiana. This alligator, named Crocky J, weighs about 100 pounds and is 5 feet 5 inches long. Scary, right? Well, Steele learned to handle his pet alligator through trial and error as a child. He developed an instruction manual for the animal. First, you have to grab it by the tail and hold it under your arm, then put a hand on its belly to control its movements. Any mistake, such as putting your hand too close to its head, can result in a painful bite. And Steele knows this very well because he has been bitten by an alligator himself.

In an interview, Carson Steele recalled an incident in which his pet alligator Crocky J bit him. He said: “I don’t even know if my mom and dad know. But when I was younger, I wanted to show it to my friends and something happened. One of my friends moved or something and I turned around and looked the other way and he caught me a little bit. That was the one time.”

So was it a painful and hard bite? If you ask Steele, he would probably say yes, in a way, because that bite pulled “just a bit” Blood that leaves an imprint. But it wouldn’t be wrong to say that if it had been big enough and his inattention had led to it, it could have almost killed the Chiefs star!

Despite his creepy build, Crocky J made headlines at the 2024 season opener and this alligator quickly became a fan favorite.

Do fans want more Crocky J than Taylor Swift?

Carson Steele’s pet Crocky J was recently featured on NBC’s broadcast of Kansas City’s season opener against the Ravens on Thursday. As soon as it was shown on national television, fans began to offer their comments on the unusual pet. One even called for the NFL to show more pictures of Crocky J than Taylor Swift, writing: “Let’s get more Crocky J and less Taylor this season.”

While many fell in love with the alligator, someone hilariously commented: “Just found out about Crocky J and I would die for him.“Another NFL fan just claimed that they “here for Crocky J.” So it seems that Crocky J has already become a star alongside Swift this season.

Carson Steele, who received this pet as a Christmas present from his father when he was in second or third grade, has kept it in a large aquarium at his parents’ home in Indiana. And Steele is reportedly currently working on “to ensure that the necessary documents are obtained for the alligator to enter Kansas City.”