Meghan Markle epically shoots down former ESPN star when dating Prince Harry

The ex-ESPN star took his chances with Meghan Markle at a celebrity flag football game and shares his text message to her that was hilariously rejected.

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Shooters gonna shoot.

That's the joke with hoopsters who gun it too often in basketball from YMCA pickup games all the way to the NBA. It's also a classic line for all of those buddies when trying to score a date.

Well, add former ESPN star and Ryen Russillo to the latter mix, although he also tends to brag that he's pretty decent with the former demo too as a tentpole personality of Bill Simmons', another former Worldwide Leader in Sports A-lister, The Ringer podcast network with the "The Ryen Russillo Podcast."

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As a guest on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" for a live show in Denver, the self-deprecating ex-Scott Van Pelt co-host, 49, fell into a hilarious story of getting shot down by Meghan Markle, 43, while she was already starting to date Prince Harry, 40.

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

After an awkward joke of her being available again "after I think that podcasting thing didn't work out" (in probably a reference to Bill Simmons previously crushing the supposed $20 million Spotify deal), he gets into it.

"We played in a celebrity flag football game together, and it was all of the [Sports Illustrated] Swimsuit models. So no one was really paying attention to Markle. So I was like, that's my lane. I was like, she's probably doubting herself a little bit right now, and she's never been more attainable. And then, I mean, I got the game-winning touchdown over Deion Sanders. No big deal. And I was like yeah, you know, I shot her a DM... and somebody was ilke, do you know who she's dating? And I was like, I don't pay attention to any of that stuff. And it didn't work out."

It then apparently turned into a joke with NFL reporter and Thursday Night Football host Charissa Thompson and her fellow NFL Network reporter Sara Walsh anytime Piers Morgan "loses his s**t about it." It turns out Russillo has indeed trolled Morgan in the past.

Very true! One day at a time. Not weird at all. https://t.co/LGKYvAEvQv

— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) December 9, 2022

Apparently former New York Knicks coach and NBA personality Jeff Van Gundy fell for the joke too of Morgan vs. Russillo, and then Simmons presses Russillo to disclose what he DM-ed her.

"It was a very soft sell," Russillo revealed. "It was, hey, I know the new season of 'Suits' is coming out if you ever want to come on the show... It was really professional and a gaging of interest."

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Unfortunately, the future Princess of Sussex shot him down too.

IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

"It was ice cold. It was, 'Oh, I don't know anything about sports but thanks for the offer.'"

The text transcription itself makes it sound like Russillo, probably the biggest and most successful star in The Ringer network next to Simmons, was being completely conceded. He was not. It was clearly to make fun of himself.

In this case, he shot and bricked, if not completely airballed it. We've all been there.

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