Quarterback Josh Allen has apologized after tweets containing repeated use of the n-word emerged on NFL draft day.
Allen sent the tweets in 2012 and 2013 while he was still at high school and they have since been deleted but they have been widely circulated and Allen admitted they had been sent from his account.
“If I could go back in time, I would never have done this in a heartbeat,” Allen told ESPN on Thursday. “At the time, I obviously didn’t know how harmful it was and now has become.
“I hope you know and others know I’m not the type of person I was at 14 and 15 that I tweeted so recklessly ... I don’t want that to be the impression of who I am, because that is not me. I apologize for what I did.”
In the tweets, as well as his use of the n-word, he also responded to a question asking “Why are you so white” by writing “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!”. Allen said the comment was a quote from the sitcom Modern Family, and that one of the uses of the n-word was from a Rick Ross song.
mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) Some of the things I'm hearing from around the league on racist Josh Allen tweets:
1. He was kid, give him a break.
2. He was more than old enough to know better.
3. Black player texted me saying he thinks Allen will initially have problem in locker room.
Allen was a star college quarterback at Wyoming and had been tipped as a potential No1 overall pick when the first round of the draft gets underway on Thursday night. However, his stock may well slip after the tweets emerged, particularly in a league in which the majority of players are African American. NFL writer Mike Freeman said on Thursday that he had received a text from one black player saying the tweets mean “Allen will initially have [a] problem in the locker room”.
Allen is not the first player to have been burned on social media on draft day. In 2016, video emerged of top prospect Laremy Tunsil taking a bong hit through a gas mask under a confederate flag. He subsequently slipped down the draft – potentially losing millions of dollars – before being picked up by the Miami Dolphins.
Josh Allen is kicking off his pre-draft festivities with an apology tour.
After racially insensitive tweets from his high school days surfaced online, the former Wyoming quarterback apologized Wednesday night, telling ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith he was young and dumb.
The offensive tweets in question, which have since been scrubbed from Allen’s feed, were from 2012 and 2013. According to Yahoo Sports, Allen uses the N-word a number of times.
“I don’t think you n—-s want a troubled son,” Allen allegedly wrote in June 2012.
“Why are you so white ? — If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!” the signal-caller posted a year later.
Allen, 21, is projected to be among the top picks in Thursday’s draft. Reports have indicated the quarterback-needy Browns could select him with the first overall pick — they’ve been cagey throughout about their true intentions. It’s unclear if his social media past will affect his draft stock.
But it’s unlikely that the leaking of the old tweets less than 24 hours before the draft is a coincidence.
https://sports.yahoo.com/offensive-tweets-josh-allen-surface-hours-nfl-draft-024847843.html
Thoughts? Some last minute drama, is this significant enough to make teams pass on the kid & he falls out of the top 10!
Former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen apologized for some offensive and racist tweets he posted in high school.
Allen is projected as a top–five pick in Thursday's draft and told ESPN.com that he he was young and dumb when making the tweets.
The tweets have been deleted from Allen's account, but Yahoo! Sports reports that the tweets were sent when Allen was in high school in 2012 and 2013.
According to Yahoo! Sports, below are some examples of Allen's tweets.
Warning: The tweets contain offensive language.
“@cheriishhh: i dont think you niggas want a troubled son!” — Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) June 14, 2012
“@Alpha_Patlan: “@J_Prodigy_5: @Alpha_Patlan (uhh) stay schemin…” Niggas Trying To Get At Me. ” doe — Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) February 12, 2013
"@FelipeeeeMelo_: Bout to show up these Niggas at pong. Gonna do for @j_prodigy_5 @AFlyer5 and @J_Sal_Forever_5.":) — Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) February 26, 2012
Why are you so white ? — If it ain't white, it ain't right! http://t.co/wsLQKZQWG5 — Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) June 25, 2013
