As far as the Buffalo Bills were concerned, Jake Fromm’s controversial text messages that surfaced in June 2020 were properly addressed and the matter was closed. But as he prepares for his first career start in a new home, that may no longer be the case for Fromm.
After more than a season spent down the depth chart with the Bills, Fromm was snatched off the practice squad by the New York Giants and now appears to be in line for his first career start on Sunday. With the spotlight that comes from starting a game in the NFL’s biggest market, Fromm is also facing new scrutiny for his old text messages.
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Fromm’s Comments Stir Controversy
Not long after the Bills snagged Fromm with a fifth-round pick in 2020, text messages from the previous year surfaced in which Fromm used the phrase “elite white people” while saying that only white people should own guns.
Fromm issued an apology, saying he was “extremely sorry” for using the words.
“Although I never meant to imply that I am an ‘elite white person,’ as stated later in the conversation, there’s no excuse for that word choice and sentiment,” he wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “Now, more than ever, is the time for support and togetherness and I stand against racism 100%. … Again, I’m truly sorry for my words and actions and humbly ask for forgiveness.”
Every Jake Fromm dropback from the Dallas game. Leads the team down the field and in typical Giants fashion, the offense freezes inside the red zone.
The remarks stirred controversy and led some to call on the Bills to release Fromm, but the team said he addressed the situation and apologized to teammates.
“He was wrong and he admitted it to us. We don’t condone what he said. Jake was honest and forthcoming to us about the text exchange,” the team said in a statement. “He asked for an opportunity to address and apologize his teammates and coaches today in a team meeting, which he did.”
Back in the Spotlight
Fromm may have to answer for the text message once again. As Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News noted, the issue came up with Fromm’s new teammates and the former Georgia quarterback again met the issue head-on. Fromm admitted that he might have a bit of work to build up trust with his Giants teammates, but was willing to put in that work.
“For me, going to a new situation and a new locker room, there weren’t a whole lot of guys that really knew me,” Fromm said Wednesday. “So I was really selling myself and saying, ‘Hey guys, this is me, this is my heart, this is who I really am.’ And it’s a really long hard road to earn people’s trust, and I’m just super thankful for that family there in Buffalo who really took me in and helped me.”
The New York Giants reportedly intend to start QB Jake Fromm against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.
The Giants have given Fromm his first real chance to prove himself in the NFL after a year of playing an unusual role with the Bills. Fromm was kept away from teammates during the 2020 season as something of an emergency quarterback who could start if a COVID-19 outbreak took out starter Josh Allen and backup Matt Barkley. Because the league canceled the preseason that year as well, Fromm never got the chance to play in a real game until this year’s preseason, but never took a snap in a regular-season game with the Bills.
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Controversy Resurfaces for Former Bills QB Ahead of First Career Start