Yahoo Finance Josh Allen, after being in similar situation, thinks Jake Fromm is progressing after offensive texts
Buffalo Bills rookie Jake Fromm may have “a lot of work to do” to earn his new teammates’ trust back, but quarterback Josh Allen said Thursday that Fromm is well on his way already.
Allen, though he said he hasn’t spoken with Fromm after his text messages about “elite white people” owning guns were leaked last week, was impressed with how the former Georgia standout has handled the situation so far.
“I sent him a text saying I love you and I'm here for you if you need anything,” Allen said, via ESPN. “He owned up to his mistakes and he talked to the team and if anyone had any questions about him, they asked him directly. It was a shame that it happened. ... He was extremely sorry and regretful and super hurt by it. He didn't mean to cause anybody any pain — and I think the guys responded well to him.
“It's still going to be a hill that he continues to climb with the guys in the locker room.”
Fromm apologized last week after offensive and insensitive text messages of his were posted to Twitter.
Screenshots of a conversation he had with a friend in 2019 were posted, and showed Fromm saying, “Just make [guns] very expensive so only elite white people can get them haha.” The incident came both right after New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees issued a pair of apologizes after making comments about how he didn’t support protesting during the national anthem and George Floyd’s death in police custody, which has sparked widespread protests ever since.
Fromm apologized the next day.
“Although I never meant to imply that I am an ‘elite white person,’ as stated later in the conversation, there is no excuse for that word choice and sentiment,” Fromm said, in part. “While it was poor, my heart is not. Now, more than ever, is the time for support and togetherness and I stand against racism 100 percent. I promise to commit myself to being a part of the solution in this country.”
Fromm, Allen in familiar territory
Allen found himself in a very similar situation when he was first drafted by the Bills, too.
Old racist and offensive tweets of his, including several where he used the N-word, surfaced just hours before the NFL draft in 2018, forcing him to apologize and face an uphill battle in the locker room before he had even arrived in Buffalo.
Though it’s taken a bit of time, Allen feels he’s been able to show his true self to his teammates — and believes that Fromm can get there, too.
“Going back to 2018 when I got drafted, my mindset was to get into the locker room and show them who I really was as a person,” Allen said, via ESPN. “I can say without a doubt that guys know who I am now. I definitely think it's going to take time but at the same time, we learn and we grow as we get older. We see different things and we meet different people that kind of open your eyes and change your mind about different things.”
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