The #1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft this year was Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray – a black man who attended the University of Oklahoma. Murray was offered a $35 million contract by the Arizona Cardinals. Murray is also the first athlete ever to be drafted in the Top 10 of both the NFL and the Major League Baseball drafts.
The #2 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft this year was Nick Bosa, a white man who played as a defensive end at Ohio State. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. Upon being drafted, one of Bosa’s first actions was to apologize for a number of racially-charged tweets (now deleted), in which he referred to Black Panther as “the worst Marvel movie,” called Collin Kapernick a “clown,” and said Beyonce’s music was “trash.” He also “liked” a number of Instagram posts that contained homophobic and racial slurs.
“I’m sorry if I hurt anybody,” Bosa said to NFL.com. “I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case. I think me being here (San Francisco) is even better for me as a person, because I don’t think there’s anywhere, any city, that you could really be in that would help you grow as much as this one will.”
So you can understand the public outrage when President Donald Trump chose to send out a tweet congratulation Bosa, while completely ignoring Murray – especially on the day of a suspected white supremacist terror attack in California.
“Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump’s tweet said.
Many immediately took to Twitter to call out Trump’s gaffe.
You do realize that another player went #1 overall in the draft, right ahead of Bosa, right?
His name is Kyler Murray pic.twitter.com/xiOkXTMm3Y
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 27, 2019
FYI: The first pick in the NFL draft, Kyler Murray, is the only player drafted in the first round of two major sports (MLB). I think that deserves a congratulatory message, but we all know why he won’t get it from you!
— Robin (@rocodeedee) April 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/ALiberalCatLady/status/1122146130618269696
Murray has also faced criticism for prejudiced tweets in 2012 that featured homophobic slurs. When the tweets received media attention after he won the Heisman Trophy, Murry wrote an apology, stating, “I apologize for the tweets that have come to light tonight from when I was 14 and 15. I used a poor choice of word that doesn’t reflect who I am or what I believe. I did not intend to single out any individual or group.
Jenn Bentley is a writer and editor originally from Cadiz, Kentucky. Her writing has been featured in publications such as The Examiner, The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, and others. When she’s not writing or editing, Jenn spends her time raising money for Extra Life and advocating for autism awareness.
