E.J. Speed posted a photograph of YNW Melly simply minutes after the Houston Texans edged out the Indianapolis Colts 20-16, turning a private victory right into a public assertion that raised various eyebrows.

The linebacker, who spent six seasons with Indianapolis earlier than signing a one-year $5 million contract with Houston, uploaded the rapper’s picture to each Instagram and Twitter with none caption.

But the message was loud and clear to these conversant in Melly’s authorized troubles: Speed was equating his efficiency towards his former staff to one thing much more sinister.

Melly has been jailed since 2019 on first-degree homicide expenses for the deaths of two shut associates and fellow artists, Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy).

Prosecutors allege Melly and affiliate Cortlen Henry (YNW Bortlen) staged a drive-by capturing to cowl up the killings, which occurred inside a Jeep in October 2018. The victims have been shot within the head, torso and again. Melly’s first trial led to a mistrial in July 2023.

A retrial is scheduled for January 2027.

What made Speed’s submit much more unsettling was the accompanying audio. On his Instagram story, he performed 5 strains from Melly’s breakout monitor “Murder On My Mind,” a tune extensively interpreted as a chilling depiction of betrayal and violence.

The lyrics he selected included references to bloodstains, farewells and regret, removed from typical post-game celebration materials.

Speed’s historical past with the Colts provides one other layer to the scenario. Drafted within the fifth spherical out of Tarleton State, the Fort Worth native climbed the ranks from particular groups contributor to beginning linebacker, logging a career-best 142 tackles in 2024.

Despite his manufacturing, the Colts let him stroll in free company, a transfer that clearly didn’t sit effectively with him. In Sunday’s sport, Speed recorded three tackles and helped Houston safe a slim victory.

But as a substitute of posting highlights or locker room pictures, he opted for a message that many interpreted as a digital jab at his former staff, one laced with references to an unresolved double homicide case.

The response on-line has been combined. Some praised the submit as ruthless, whereas others questioned the judgment behind invoking such darkish imagery. The Texans haven’t publicly addressed the submit, and Speed has supplied no rationalization.

The submit stays stay on each platforms as of this writing, persevering with to stir debate over whether or not the linebacker crossed a line between aggressive edge and poor style.

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