Vikings running back Alexander Mattison took to social media on Friday morning to reveal that he received over 60 "disgustingly disrespectful messages" via his Instagram account that featured racist remarks, including the N-word. This occurred following Minnesota's 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Mattison rushed for 28 yards in the loss and had a fumble during the first quarter. He also caught three of his six targets for 11 yards.
"Y'all can come at me all you want about fantasy and 'you suck blah blah blah," Mattison wrote. "I really could care less. But this [expletive] is unacceptable."
The two posts that Mattison highlighted on his Instagram had the users calling him the N-word and calling for him to commit suicide. In his reaction, Mattison added that he hopes that the people who sent the messages "really reflect on WTF you say and how it could truly affect someone. Under my helmet, I am a human .. a father .. a son. This is sick. SMH."
"We are sickened by the hatred and racial slurs directed toward Alexander Mattison following last night's game," the Vikings organization said in the statement. "There simply is no room for racist words or actions in sports or society. The Vikings will continue to fight to eliminate hate, to educate and to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community that respects and values our unique backgrounds. We stand with Alexander and all players who, unfortunately, experience this type of ignorant and prejudicial behavior, and we ask our fans to continue to fight to eliminate racism."
The NFL also released a statement and said that it "strongly condemns" the comments made to Mattison and added that "such hateful behavior is completely unacceptable in the NFL or anywhere else.
"We stand firmly with Alexander and remind fans to remember the humanity of all players and celebrate their contributions to the game we all love," the statement concluded.
