There need to be more people of color working in sports. In newsrooms, in editorial positions, reporters, everything.
There is a little disconnect between some reporters (and their bosses) and the athletes because the reporters don’t understand how people of color speak sometimes.
A case in point is the recent Lamar Jackson situation.
A fan tweeted at Lamar that the Ravens need to let him walk if he asked for $250 million, and games will come down to Justin Tucker’s leg. Lamar responded by telling him to shut up and to eat dick.
Regular trash talk, right?
Not to ESPN reporter Jamison Hensley because he wrote a whole article over the tweet, calling it vulgar and anti-gay. Even though Lamar didn’t say anything like that.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson responded to a social media post Sunday that criticized his performance with a profanity-laced tweet that included an anti-gay phrase.
About a half hour after the Ravens’ 28-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a Twitter user tagged Jackson in a tweet that read: “someone asking for over $250 million guaranteed like [Jackson] … games like this should not come down to [kicker Justin Tucker].”
The fan added, “Let Lamar walk and spend that money on a well-rounded team.”
Jackson snapped back shortly afterward with a profane reply, saying, among other things, that the fan “never smelt a football field.”
Jackson’s tweet was deleted after 3½ hours.
Jackson was visibly frustrated after the game, which was the Ravens’ third loss this season after leading by multiple scores in the fourth quarter. That ties the most in a season in NFL history, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
“I don’t like losing,” Jackson said. “Nobody likes losing.”
Jackson acknowledged it would have been a different game if Baltimore hadn’t struggled finishing off drives early. The Ravens finished 2-of-5 in the red zone, settling for three short field goals.
Lamar fired back by tweeting Hensley, telling him that it was defamation of his character because he never mentioned anyone’s sexual orientation or did anything to disrespect them, calling it a reach.
Which it was.
Flip the page for Jackson calling Hensley out for his incorrect verbiage.
