NEWSMichael Jordan Scandal: NASCAR's Tyler Reddick Addresses NBA Star Being Accused of Touching Driver's Son Inappropriately
Tyler Reddick commented on the viral video in a Tuesday, February 17, interview.
Feb. 18 2026, Updated 12:17 p.m. ET
NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick cleared the air after some people thought the touchy interaction between his son and Michael Jordan was inappropriate.
When Reddick won big at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15, the NBA icon was seen touching Beau Reddick's legs and tugging at him near the hemline of his shirt — but Tyler saw nothing wrong with the moment.
Tyler Reddick Defends Michael Jordan
Tyler Reddick brushed off critics who thought Michael Jordan touched the driver's son inappropriately.
"From my perspective, I've gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years. I've been here with 23XI, and I don't see what other people see when it comes to this," he spilled on a recent episode of Stephen A. Smith's SiriusXM show. (The retired basketball player is a co-owner of 23XI.)
'I've gotten to know Michael and his family very well,' Tyler Reddick said while defending the NBA legend.
"For me, it's a huge moment; this is the biggest moment of my career. It's a huge moment for my family and for his family," the driver raved. "And I just put that off to the side and think about the look on [Jordan's wife] Yvette's face and the whole family and his whole group when they got to victory lane too, and just how happy everybody was celebrating together. So, that's where I'm at with it."
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Some fans felt the interaction was odd, while others thought it was innocent and playful.
Social media was divided by the interaction, with one headline on X reading, "Michael Jordan is currently facing backlash after inappropriately touching a child during live television."
"Please tell me this isn’t real," said another person, while a third noted, "I think he’s just messing with him but in today’s climate ts [sic] looks horrible."
"Why are y'all reading meaning into this playful video?" someone else said in Michael's defense.
"That’s his driver’s kid and he was pulling his shirt. Just being playful with the kid," a fourth X user wrote. "Everyone’s hyper focused on [Jeffrey] Epstein and other perverse media trying to make nothing into something."
Stephen A. Smith Weighs In
Stephen A. Smith shamed critics for 'jumping to conclusions.'
The sports reporter also saw no issue with the video.
"You’ve got to contextualize these things properly. It’s a kid that Michael Jordan loves like it’s his own kid," he explained. "It’s a kid that he’s known for years. That’s the son of a driver that just won the Daytona 500 for him."
Tyler Reddick gushed over his friendship with Michael Jordan.
"It’s not the first time he’s been seen with the kid. Not the second time either. I’m not here to sit up there and absolve anybody from anything. I’m saying, why would we jump to that conclusion?" he questioned. "It’s a legitimate question. We’ve got to take into consideration the fact that it was just an 8-second clip. But I saw the video. It’s a non-story in my opinion, based on what I saw."
