Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson apologized Friday for the vulgar tweet he sent to a fan after his loss last week to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jackson, shortly after the team’s last loss to the Jaguars, sent a tweet to a fan who had urged the Ravens to let him go after the season. He eliminated the tweet, which included profane language and a phrase that some interpret as homophobic, a few hours later.
Jackson said Friday that the tweet was the first post he read on Twitter after opening his phone after the game.
“I apologize if I hurt feelings outside,” he said,
“I had just pulled my bottom — my whole team, the coaches did — that’s what I saw. I just reacted to that. My mistake, my mistake.”
Jackson eliminated the tweet about three hours later, something he said his girlfriend suggested he do.
“I was bitter,” Jackson said. “I felt that you should get bitter after a loss. No smiles. I feel that fans should be angry because we lost too. But he’s not as crazy as we are. We tried.”
Jackson didn’t reach out to the Twitter user to apologize. However, he realized that the fan later posted that he “loved” Jackson. Since then, the Twitter user has changed his account to private.
“I love him, too,” Jackson said. “I don’t blame him.”
Jackson, 25, became the face of the Ravens franchise and one of the NFL’s most popular players in his five NFL seasons. A unanimous MVP of the NFL in 2019, Jackson holds a record of 44-16 (.733) since he became Baltimore’s starting quarterback midway through the 2018 season, who is behind only Patrick Muhammad (49-14) during this period.
Asked what he will gain from this experience, Jackson replied, “Don’t say anything on Twitter. Don’t say what I said. We have kids watching. I don’t need the kids to say that. I’ll try to stay out of Twitter, if anything, if anything like that happens again. Let’s hope we don’t lose again.”
Although he was stabbed in his losing quadrice on Sunday, Jackson will start this Sunday when AFC North-leader Ravens (7-4) host the Denver Broncos (3-8). He was limited on Wednesday before he had full training in the last two days.
“I’m fine now,” Jackson said.
