Potential No. 1 pick Josh Allen apologizes to Stephen A. Smith after offensive tweets resurface just before NFL Draft
- Potential first overall pick Josh Allen had a series of offensive tweets resurface on Wednesday night just hours before the 2018 NFL Draft.
- Allen called ESPN's Stephen A. Smith late that night, apologizing for the language he used and hoping to explain himself.
- ESPN's Adam Schefter claimed that some believe the release of the tweets was timed by a team hoping that Allen could fall to them in the draft.
Josh Allen apologized for a string of offensive tweets from his past that resurfaced just hours before he's expected go among the top picks of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The tweets in question, which have since been deleted, were reported by Yahoo Sports and have now led to concerns from some that Allen may fall in the draft. In the tweets, Allen used offensive language, including racial and homophobic slurs. In one now-deleted message, Allen joked "If it ain't white, it ain't right!" which he would later attribute to the television show "Modern Family."
As Yahoo noted, the tweets came when Allen was young - 2013 or earlier, when Allen would've been in high school.
Allen reportedly called ESPN's Stephen A. Smith at 2 a.m. Thursday morning, apologizing for the incident and looking to explain himself.
You can watch Smith recount the call below.
This is just the latest example of a young athlete's digital past coming back to bite them at an inopportune time. Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo had a series of tweets from his past resurface just as he was helping the Wildcats along to their second title in three years.
NFL insider Adam Schefter noted that some believed that the tweets were put out by a team hoping that Allen would fall to them in the draft.
Regardless of if that was the case, Allen does indeed appear to be dropping at least a few spots - many viewed him as the likely top overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, but just this morning betting markets swung to make Baker Mayfield the favorite to be the first name called tonight.