Getty Eagles LB Nate Gerry has been under intense scrutiny for a variety of reasons this year — on the field and off the field.
Nate Gerry was already under scrutiny for his poor play on the field. Now a series of racially insensitive tweets from his younger days may get him cut. Seriously. The calls to release the embattled Eagles linebacker hit a fever pitch on Thursday night when he used several variations of the n-word in tweets dated from his teenage years.
It’s unclear who unearthed them — or what the motive was for the highly unpopular player — but they were clearly unacceptable and offensive. Gerry immediately accepted responsibility and offered an apology.
I have been made aware of some offensive social media posts I sent out many years ao. I am incredibly disappointed in myself and downright sick over these actions because I know that they don’t reflect my values as a person, but more importantly because I understand the damage that my words have caused.
That type of language is never acceptable. I am committed to showing through my actions that is not who I am or what I represent. I take full responsibility and apologize to the organization, to my teammates, our fans, our community and everyone who I have offended by these incredible insensitive and harmful posts.
The Eagles declined requests for comment on the matter. It’s clearly an issue, one that carries extra ramifications due to the organization’s strong stance on fighting social injustice and racial inequality. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie spear-headed a Social Justice Committee and railed against systemic racism back in June. So did franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, condemning “institutional racism” in late May.
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Forgive What People ‘Think Might Be His Fault’
It’s no secret fans are at their wit’s end with Gerry. He has often looked overmatch against tight ends, out of position all the time, and generally confused in coverage this year. He’s been called out on national broadcasts and lambasted by Eagles fans for his play on the field. Prior to his racist tweets surfacing, his defensive coordinator took a stand for Gerry.
“Nate has been a very solid player for us, and has helped us win a lot of games,” Jim Schwartz said. “And I would just caution this: There’s probably a lot of plays that people outside of our building think might be his fault; that he just happens to be the closest guy when someone else made a mistake, and I think they end up blaming him a lot of times.”
Making matters worse, the Eagles released L.J. Fort and let Nigel Bradham walk in free agency before turning the starting job over to Gerry.
Eagles Twitter Eviscerates Gerry
This is what you came for, right? The carnage. The drama. The excuse to cut Gerry. It might be warranted here. Racist behavior is never acceptable. Here’s a sampling of tweets gone wrong:
Cut nate gerry for being bad, to cut him because of things he tweeted at 17…..f it cut him then too 🤷🏿♂️
There are plenty more of you want to scroll the internet. We’re about to watch Nick Foles lead this epic comeback victory. You be the judge on whether Gerry deserves to be cut or not.
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