After Xavier Legette’s unusual confession about eating raccoon meat went viral, the Carolina Panthers wide receiver brought some to practice on December 26 to share with teammates and reporters. The 23-year-old had previously made the revelation during an appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast” on December 10. There, he described his experience hunting, preparing, and eating raccoons, explaining that he kills, skins, and cooks it himself.
Legette’s surprise food choice caught the attention of many, but it was his gesture of bringing leftover Christmas raccoon meat to practice that got people talking. On Thursday, December 26, he arrived at practice with a reusable food container holding the unique dish. He showed off the raccoon meat to Panthers special teams coach Daren Bates, enthusiastically explaining how he boils it and lets the meat fall off the bone.
Bates, initially skeptical, gave the dish a try after Legette encouraged him. The coach responded, “Wasn’t bad. Didn’t taste like I thought it would.” Bates’ reaction sparked further curiosity, as others gathered around to taste the raccoon as well.
The fun didn’t stop there. Panthers beat writer Sheena Quick also posted a video of her trying the raccoon meat after Legette urged reporters to sample it. “Y’all gotta try!” he told the group, and Quick picked up a piece of raccoon to taste. After trying it, Quick admitted, “It ain’t bad, it ain’t bad,” noting that it was spicy and well-seasoned.
The interaction quickly went viral, and Quick followed up with another post on social media, describing the meat as surprisingly good. The reactions to Legette’s culinary experiment were positive, though many were intrigued by how a professional athlete could enjoy such an unconventional dish.
When questioned about how he could be a picky eater and still enjoy raccoons, Legette explained his particular tastes. He admitted that while he loves raccoons, he’s not a fan of certain foods like bell peppers and onions, finding them too exotic for his liking. He laughed, saying that raccoon felt more “regular” to him compared to those foods.
Legette’s history with eating raccoons goes way back. He shared on the podcast that he has been eating it for much of his life, particularly around the holidays, like Christmas and Thanksgiving. He also enjoys other game meats like squirrel and rabbit. Legette explained that while many people claim exotic meats taste like chicken, the raccoon has a distinct flavor of its own that makes it stand out.
