Don Jones (photo/Miami Dolphins)
Second year defensive back Don Jones of the Miami Dolphins tweeted “OMG” and “horrible” after Michael Sam’s name was announced as the St. Louis Rams draft pick in the seventh round on Saturday afternoon. The tweets were deleted, but not after the damage was done. Yet another black eye on the franchise that is still reeling from the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying case.
Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin immediately released a statement, “We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets during the NFL Draft,” Philbin said in a statement. “They were inappropriate and unacceptable, and we regret the negative impact these comments had on such an important weekend for the NFL. We met with Don 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.”
Jones also publicly apologized to Sam.
“I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media,” Jones said. “I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment.”