Minnesota Vikings Condemn Racist Attacks on Running Back Following Loss to Eagles
Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison received nasty messages on social media following his team’s 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
In two Instagram Stories, which self-delete after a certain period of time, Mattison shared screen shots of some of the messages he received after the crushing loss.
“Hey n***** do you know how to hold onto a gun and pull the trigger I mean give it a try cause you clearly can’t hold on to a football which is [your] PROFESSIONAL CARRER so try something new please,” one message read.
Mattison captioned that post with, “[Shaking my f***ing head].. This is not ok.”
WARNING: The following post contains language that some readers may find offensive.
This is truly disgusting and shameful.
After the #Eagles game, #Vikings RB Alexander Mattison was called the N-word, was told he should commit suicide and was told a number of other racist terms in his DMs by “fans”, he shared on Instagram.
This is what some athletes face every… pic.twitter.com/mKfR8tkTw4
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 15, 2023
“You stupid f***ing c***, learn how to hold onto the ball,” another message said. “You get paid millions and can’t do s***. … Move your black a** back to Boise and start selling cars or some s*** you slow, useless n*****.
“If you decide that’s not for you, kill yourself. God knows yo black a** dumber than s*** so you can’t do anything with common knowledge.”
Mattison said that over 60 people sent him similarly hateful messages.
“Under my helmet, I am a human.. a father.. a son. This is sick,” Mattison said.
The vile remarks came after a game in which the Vikings played rather sloppily en route to an 0-2 record. The team lost four fumbles, including by quarterback Kirk Cousins and superstar receiver Justin Jefferson.
Mattison was also credited with a fumble, and had a second one called back due to a penalty:
Alexander Mattison loses the ball again! #NFL #Skol It didn’t count though pic.twitter.com/SkO6Pqbxk7
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhiferNFL) September 15, 2023
Both the Vikings and the NFL came to the defense of Mattison and condemned the messages.
We are sickened by the hatred and racial slurs directed toward Alexander Mattison following last night’s game. pic.twitter.com/cdCRbxipr6
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2023
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2023
Mattison and the Vikings will have a chance to get on the winning track when they host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
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