Star athletes on the cusp of achieving their dreams, no longer need to worry only about things they have tweeted in the past. Now, apparently, they must also be on-guard against who they follow on social media.
The day before 49ers defensive end and Trump supporter Nick Bosa geared-up to take on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill launched a broadside at the Niner defender for apparently following a private Instagram account that joked about the death of Laker legend Kobe Bryant.
#SuperBowlLIV contender Nick Bosa follows a private Instagram account that jokes about Kobe Bryant’s death. pic.twitter.com/BMIj3v2Fnq
— Resist Programming (@RzstProgramming) February 1, 2020
Hill captioned a tweet from Resist Programming, a self-described “pro-Black” account interested in “Jesus & Justice,” and is followed by Colin Kaepernick.
The former SportsCenter anchor wrote, “Nick Bosa continues to show exactly who he is. I asked the question before, if there is nothing wrong with who he’s following and what he’s liking on social media, then why is he so secretive?”
Nick Bosa continues to show exactly who he is. I asked the question before, if there is nothing wrong with who he’s following and what he’s liking on social media, then why is he so secretive? https://t.co/DbdZ82ZTix
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 1, 2020
Hilariously, after retweeting an activist account that was trashing Bosa to her 1.2 million followers and calling on him to stop being “secretive” about who he follows on social media, Hill said she’s not here to “police” Bosa’s social media behavior.
I’m not here to police Nick Boss’s social media behavior, but when that smoke comes, I definitely won’t feel sorry for him and again, if he really thinks it’s no big deal, then own it.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 1, 2020
Bosa has indeed been silent on social media, at least as far as politics is concerned, since before entering the NFL draft. Probably, to avoid provoking the attacks of activists on social media like Hill. However, it looks like any effort to avoid angering the Great A-Woke-ining, was done in vain.
Also absent from the discussion is any analysis of when Bosa started following that account, or if the account has also mocked other celebrity deaths, not just Bryant’s. While following such an account may seem off-putting to some, it’s not entirely unusual for people to follow accounts that play on the dark side of humor.
There’s also a tremendous irony in Hill calling for Bosa to “own” up to his beliefs, when she herself has turned down seemingly every opportunity to debate people who disagree with her politics. Most notably in July of last year when she turned down an offer to debate Candace Owens.
What has been at least somewhat unusual, up until now, is for activists to target who an athlete is following on social media and criticize them for it.
Welcome to the new world.
Following Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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