New York Yankees great David Wells slams ‘woke Nike,’ coddled ballplayers and Bud Light during Old Timers’ Day festivities in the Bronx: ‘That’s why everyone should carry a gun’

Nike is woke, baseball players are coddled, and everyone should carry a gun – or so says retired New York Yankees pitcher David Wells.

The slimmed-down 60-year-old southpaw joined Derek Jeter and a few other members of the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees at Saturday’s Old Timers’ Day in the Bronx, where he complained about everything from ‘woke’ culture to the club’s current struggles.

‘We’re in a different world,’ Wells told reporters while donning a Yankees jersey with a piece of tape covering the Nike logo. ‘It sucks. That’s why everyone should carry a gun.’

A beer-guzzling, soft-tossing lefty who developed into one of the most successful pitchers of the late-1990s and early 2000s, Wells has dropped weight and gotten healthier in retirement.

But even without his famed heft, Wells remains of the game’s most outspoken characters.

Take, for instance, MLB’s decision to allow the Nike logo on jerseys.

‘I hate Nike,’ Wells said while wearing one of the brand’s Yankee jerseys, albeit with the logo covered by white tape. ‘They’re woke.’

And like many conservatives, the Southern California native also takes issue with Bud Light after the brand included transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in an Instagram post.

When asked if he’ll drink Bud Light again, Wells snapped back, ‘nope,’ according to The Athletic.

But Wells saved his harshest words for the current Yankees, who sit in last place in the American League East at 70-72 and are in danger of their first losing season since 1992.

David Wells’ Yankee jersey had a white piece of tape covering the Nike logo on Saturday

Without mentioning anyone by name, Wells seemed to imply that manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman are not blame for the struggles, all of which he pins on the current players.

‘It always seems that the [general managers], the managers and all of that are getting fired, and getting blamed for it, and it’s the players’ [fault],’ Wells said.

‘If you’re not doing the job out on the field, and if I was a GM, I would start sending a message.’

Several Yankees players have disappointed this season, including pitcher Carlos Rodon, who came to New York as a free agent after signing a six-year, $162 million deal. Since then, he’s battled injury problems while making just 10 starts and yielding a whopping 34 runs in just 46.1 innings for a 6.60 ERA.

To Wells, the answer is simple: Send struggling players to the minors.

‘I don’t care who it was, if he was in the stink hole — pardon my French, if you can say that now,’ he said. ‘I don’t know. But send that son of a gun to Triple-A or Double-A and send him a wake-up call.’

Wells recalled one instance when catcher Jorge Posada slammed him against a wall after a poor outing.

Now, Wells believes, such an act would be a scandal in the clubhouse.

‘He slammed me against the pillar and got in my face but I respected it,’ Wells said. ‘He was like, ‘You gave up.’ And that pissed me off because I never gave up, you just get your ass kicked once in a while.

‘But to me, that’s what you don’t see anymore. You don’t see the guys getting in each other’s face. And it’s not a personal thing. You’re here to win, and that’s what they try to do, and I think from seeing my perspective, looking in, they don’t have that kind of camaraderie anymore.’

David Wells celebrates his perfect game against the Twins at Yankee Stadium in 1998

Wells began his career as a middling starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers, but began to enjoy some success in 1995 when he earned his first of three All-Star nods. He would ultimately be traded to Cincinnati that season before joining Baltimore as a free agent in 1996 and then, more famously, the New York Yankees in 1997.

He pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in 1998 en route to his second World Series title.

But prior to the following season, Wells would be sent back to Toronto in a deal for Cy Young winner Roger Clemens.

Wells wasn’t finished, however, and was named to the 2000 AL All-Star team before returning to the Yankees and 2002 and ultimately finishing his career in 2007 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.