It’s that time of year again.
The NFL Draft is two weeks away and, as is tradition, the time has come to ruin a young man’s future over a social media post made years ago.
This year’s victim? Former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
Jones, a projected top-5 pick, has been rising up the draft board in recent weeks. The University of Alabama quarterback has been projected by draft experts to be selected as high as third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. In his only season as the starter at Alabama, Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and led his Crimson Tide to a perfect 13-0 record on the way to the school’s 16th National Championship.
Many draft experts have questioned whether Jones’ passing numbers in college will translate to the NFL, as Jones was playing with superior talent in his one year as a starter at Alabama. Those questions may now be taking a back seat.
On Thursday night, an old picture of Jones surfaced that casts doubt on his draft status. In a now-deleted 2012 tweet from Jones’ sister, a photo shows what appears to be Jones in a Barack Obama mask — complete with dreadlocks, an American flag costume, and a sash which reads, “NOBAMA.”
CSI Twitter Catches Ex-Bama QB Mac Jones in 4k Wearing a "NOBAMA" Costume w/ Dreads; His Sis Tweeted Pic Years Ago & Tried to Delete, But It Was Too Late; Twitter Ponders How Much Bosa is Going to Love Him & Why His DUI Never Gets Mentioned (Tweets-Vids) https://t.co/AEVZelSN98 pic.twitter.com/HejP8bgjX8
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) April 15, 2021
Naturally, Twitter erupted over the photo. Tyler Conway, from Bleacher Report, tweeted, “It is HUGELY telling that Mac Jones comes from a racist family.”
it is HUGELY telling that Mac Jones comes from a racist family (or is a racist himself) and has 2 DUIs and he's being touted as a "leader" while Justin Fields gets questioned for his "passion for football"
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) April 15, 2021
As Benjamin Allbright noted, given that Jones already has a DUI on his record, this picture — deemed “racist” by the internet — may raise red flags for any team interested in drafting him.
I've seen the photo from 2012 that Mac Jones' sister tweeted.
Don't know for sure that's Mac in the costume.
It's not the only thing Mac has to explain to future NFL employers.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 15, 2021
It’s not the first time a projected first round draft pick has been found to have questionable social media posts from his youth.
In the days leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, projected top-five draft pick Nick Bosa scrubbed his Twitter page of controversial tweets that criticized Colin Kaepernick, Marvel’s Black Panther, as well as tweets promoting President Donald Trump.
Bosa’s Instagram history was also put under the microscope, uncovering past instances in which Bosa “liked” multiple posts that featured supposedly racist and homophobic slurs.
Bosa went on to apologize for his social media history and was drafted second overall by the 49ers.
The alleged news of Jones’ costume reinvigorates the conversation on “cancel culture” and the subject of accountability for actions and statements made years prior.
The deleted picture was taken in 2012. Jones, born in 1998, would have been 14 at the time of the photo. Should his future be ruined based on a costume he allegedly wore while still in high school?
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.