Edmonton Eskimos football team, already embroiled in controversy over its name, just fired a player for homophobic comments
Former Edmonton Eskimos players Christion Jones. (Richard A Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty)
A Canadian football team, the Edmonton Eskimos, has released wide receiver Christion Jones after he went on a homophobic rant on Global Pride Day.
The Edmonton Eskimos team has long been embroiled in controversy over its name, a racial slur to describe Inuit people, and has now had to confront more.
On Saturday (June 27) Jones wrote on Twitter: “Man ain’t suppose to be with a man. A women is not supposed to be with another women.”
As comments rolled in criticising Jones as homophobic, the player continued to post, according to CBC.
He wrote more than 50 tweets hitting back at critics and saying he would never apologise, writing in one: “I STAND ON WHAT I SAY. Regret nothing. Apologize to who???”
Strangely enough, the next day Jones posted an apology.
He wrote on Twitter: “My words were deeply hurtful, painful and served zero purpose. I added to the struggle of a community, to live a life free of oppression of any kind. I sincerely apologize.”
The apology was interpreted by many as a last-ditch attempt to save his job, as just minutes later the team announced that Jones had been released.
— Edmonton Eskimos (@EdmontonEsks) June 28, 2020
The Canadian Football League (CFL) released a statement, in which it said: “We in the CFL hold high the diversity is strength banner.
“Our league makes no claim on perfection but it does strive to be inclusive, to accept and indeed celebrate our differences, and to respect and honour human rights.
“There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation.
“As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love.”
“We in the CFL hold high the Diversity Is Strength banner. Our league makes no claim on perfection but it does strive to be inclusive, to accept and indeed celebrate our differences, and to respect and honour human rights… 1/2 #DiversityIsStrength— CFL (@CFL) June 28, 2020
There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love.” 2/2 #DiversityIsStrength— CFL (@CFL) June 28, 2020
Jones’s homophobic rant is not the first time the CFL has had to deal with players using social media to make anti-gay comments.
In 2014, the league fined three players after they made homophobic comments on Twitter about Michael Sam, who was the first openly-gay player to be drafted by an NFL team and later joined the Montreal Alouettes.
