Saturday when Michael Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams to become the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones took to twitter with a tweet that read “Horrible.”
On Sunday, Jones apologized for his remark and was fined and suspension from the Dolphins. The team released a statement including Jones’ apology.
“I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media. I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment. I remember last year when I was drafted in the seventh round and all of the emotions and happiness I felt when I received the call that gave me an opportunity to play for an NFL team and I wish him all the best in his NFL career. I sincerely apologize to Mr. Ross, my teammates, coaches, staff and fans for these tweets. I am committed to represent the values of the Miami Dolphins organization and appreciate the opportunity I have been given to do so going forward.”
According to the release, Jones is suspended from team activities until he “completes educational training” for his actions.
coach Joe Philbin said, “We met with Don today about respect, discrimination and judgment. These comments are not consistent with the values and standards of our program. We will continue to emphasize and educate our players that these statements will not be tolerated.”
