Matt Leinart Calls LA ‘Ridiculous’ for Halting Indoor and Outdoor Dining Over Coronavirus Concerns

Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart recently voiced his frustration with the new COVID-19 regulations in Los Angeles. He reacted to the news that Los Angeles is shutting down indoor and outdoor dining for three weeks and said he “can’t wait to move.” As expected, his comments sparked a large variety of responses from critics and supporters alike.

An account named UCLA Nation tweeted out a screenshot of Leinart’s tweet after he deleted the original. The account also added comments saying that the former USC quarterback thinks the coronavirus “is fake.” According to Complex, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said that the decision to shut down indoor and outdoor dining was necessary to “reduce the possibility for crowding and the potential for exposures in settings where people are not wearing their face coverings.”

“I’m not shocked that you took what he said completely out of context. How about you take care of yourself and let Matt worry about himself Karen,” one person responded to the UCLA account. There were several that agreed with the tweet criticizing Leinart, but this was not a universal response. Many others said that the former USC quarterback never said that coronavirus was “fake.”

When people began criticizing Leinart for his comments, he responded by explaining why he is frustrated. “People going to lose their jobs again. Small business shutting down,” he tweeted. The responses continued as Twitter users said that he could still order takeout while calling him “Karen.” The derogatory nickname actually surfaced several times on Twitter as critics and supporters alike flung it at each other.

“I wear a mask. I go to the grocery store. I cook my own food. I have a wife and kids. My dad is a high risk and we are careful. You all are too much! Stop being bullies!” Leinart continued. His wife also weighed in and said that Leinart was the one responsible for cooking all of the time. She added that they are frustrated about Gov. Gavin Newsom being able to eat indoors “with a crowd of people” but can still shut down businesses.

The comments from Leinart’s wife referenced a dinner that Newsom attended at an upscale Napa Valley restaurant. He and several others enjoyed a meal at the French Laundry restaurant. Photos snapped by other patrons showed that neither Newsom or any of the other guests were wearing face masks during the birthday dinner for political adviser Jason Kinney. Newsom later apologized after the photos leaked and said that he “should have modeled better behavior.”