Jake Fromm found himself in the center of a scandal earlier this month when old text message were published where he stated that he believed only “elite white people” should be able to buy certain guns and weaponry.
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott commended Jake Fromm for his initial response after texts surfaced, and while Fromm has apologized over social media, McDermott said Wednesday that the 21-year-old needs to do more than issue virtual apologies.
“Jake’s situation is certainly one that we’ve taken very seriously,” McDermott said. “Jake did a very good job of communicating to the team on more than one occasion … and that has to continue.
“Right now it’s, ‘where do we go from here?’ Jake has to continue to earn it … There’s going to be players who are going to be wanting to see how Jake acts and reacts in certain situations. Not just on the field but off the field.”
McDermott also addressed his players participating on demonstrations this fall:
“We are always going to support our players. We are always going to respect their position on things, and then we’re also going to do our part in listening and educating ourselves on things,” he said. “To me, that’s the right way to go about things and that’s what we’re all about — no hidden agendas and trying to do things the right way, and it starts with respect and ends with love.
“I want to reiterate my support of our players, I think that’s important right now. We’ve got a lot of time between now and that first game, so I think the best thing we can do is make sure they know we support them and certainly respect their position on things.”
Fromm was selected in the fifth round (167th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bills in April. He played three seasons at Georgia.
