Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson tweeted — and then deleted — a profane response to a social-media critic after the Ravens’ loss on Sunday.
The Ravens fell 28-27 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker coming up short on a 67-yard field-goal attempt at the last second.
A person on Twitter posted, “When someone is asking for over 250 mil guaranteed like (Jackson) … games like this should not come down to (Tucker). Let Lamar walk and spend that money on a well-rounded team.”
Jackson’s response started by using an abbreviation telling the person to shut the (bleep) up, adding that the his critic “never smelt a football field,” and then using a swear and a phrase that members of the gay community called homophobic.
When an ESPN reporter tweeted that Jackson used “an anti-gay phrase,” Jackson responded on Monday by tweeting, “This is Defamation of my character, Because not once have I ever mentioned or disrespect anyone’s Sexuality, sexual orientation, gender, Religion or Race.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh, asked about the controversy, stood up for his quarterback.
“(I) just beg guys to not to get into the Twitter world right after the game, especially after a loss,” Harbaugh said Monday. “It’s never going to be positive. It’s not going be a nice place, you know? That’s kind of reflected in Lamar’s response because … that’s not the way he speaks. It’s not the way he talks. It’s not the words he ever uses. I’ve never heard him say things like that before. …
“Lamar Jackson, you’ve been around him. He’s got one of the biggest hearts of anybody I know. You all have seen him the way he treats people, the way he treats kids, the way he treats the media. And he is also one of the biggest competitors I’ve ever met. So those kind of conversations he takes very seriously.
“You get trapped sometimes by someone that’s baiting you just a little bit. And you can’t live there. I think that’s not a place he wants to be, and that’s certainly not things that he wants to say.”
The Ravens (7-4) saw their four-game winning streak end on Sunday, leaving them tied for first place with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson completed 16 of 32 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 14 times for 89 yards at Jacksonville.
–Field Level Media
