NFL All-Pro sparks firestorm after scrubbing his team from social media
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones nearly gave fans a heart attack on Monday thanks to some not-so-subtle moves on social media.
Jones set his Twitter account to private and deleted team-related photos from his Instagram profile, prompting speculation that there might be tension between the wideout and the Falcons front office.
Making matters worse, news broke last week that Jones was going to skip the start of voluntary workouts with the Falcons. He was supposed to be back this week, but did not make an appearance Monday.
Needless to say, Falcons fans were more than a bit worried.
As it turned out, Falcons fans didn’t have anything to be scared of.
“The team said the deletion of the Falcons photos had to do with Jones wanting a ‘fresh start’ on social media and nothing more,” ESPN‘s Vaughn McClure reported. “Jones, a star receiver at Alabama from 2008-10, had spent the day with Crimson Tide players.”
Falcons sideline reporter John Michaels provided a similar explanation on Twitter.
Jones, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro, is two years into a $71.25 million extension that he signed in 2015. On average, he earns less per year than other star receivers, but still, it’s not like the Falcons are paying him peanuts.
On Tuesday morning, Falcons director of football communications Brian Cearns noted on Twitter that Jones takes a unique approach to social media.
“At the end of the day, when that social media is gone — you delete social media right now, what you stand for, who are you?” Jones said in a March 28 episode of “Bama Football Shop Talk.”
“Social media ain’t going to make me,” he added.
Jones might not take much stock in social media, but as of Tuesday, his Twitter account appears to have been made public once again.
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