Disparaging Michael Sam tweet gets Don Jones in trouble

You don’t have to go on a total Twitter tirade in order to get in hot water. Sometimes one word is enough to get you in major trouble.

Especially when that one word is directed at Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL.

Sam is the center of attention right now, rightfully so, and as a result, everything that is said about him is going to come under much closer scrutiny.

The Miami Dolphins’ Don Jones should have realized that before he tweeted about Michael Sam Saturday night.

The tweet wasn’t much, just the word “horrible,” but it was enough.

Dolphins brass, who have been on extra-super-heavy-duty-high alert since Mike Pouncey’s dumb tweet at rookie Ja’Wuan James the other day, took all of four seconds in ordering Jones to remove the posting.

Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey wasted no time addressing the matter with the media. ”I was disappointed in those comments,” Hickey said. ”That’s not what we stand for as an organization. The draft weekend is the culmination for so many players of their lifetime achievement of their dream to achieve their goal. For Michael Sam, for all the other players, it’s such a great celebration as they begin their future.

“We’re going to sit down with Don Jones and address the tweet appropriately.”

It’s true that no one can prove Jones was being homophobic when he tweeted that word. Maybe he was just criticizing the Rams’ decision to draft a player they could have waited until after the seventh round to sign as a UDFA?

Maybe.

But suspicion is enough when things are as sensitive as they are right now. And who is more sensitive about their image than the Dolphins?

The Dolphins know what the deal is, and their players need to know it too. For players to still be getting in these kinds of trouble over social media, it’s really just beyond belief.

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