The Edmonton Eskimos released wide receiver Christion Jones on Sunday after his tweet on World Pride Day sparked a backlash.
In a now-deleted tweet, the Alabama student wrote Saturday night: “Ima, keep it that real … Man is not supposed to be with a man.” A woman is not supposed to be with another woman. THIS IS ME! Live life safely. “
On Sunday afternoon, the Canadian Football League team announced that it had released Jones:
The CFL also issued a statement: “We at the CFL uphold the banner. Diversity is strength. Our league does not claim perfection, but strives to be inclusive, accept and celebrate our differences, and respect and honor human rights. There is no place in our league for comments that belittle people based on their religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation. As Pride Month continues, we stay with the LGBTQ + community. We should all say no to hate and yes to love. “
Eight minutes before the Eskimos tweeted that Jones had been released, the wide receiver tweeted an apology.
Between the tweet that triggered his release and his apology, Jones had a response session with social media users who responded to his initial comments, including:
Jones was a statewide team for Minor High School in Adamsville for the 2009 and 2010 seasons before playing four years for Alabama. While with Crimson Tide, Jones won the SEC Special Team Player of the Year Award for the 2013 season.
In Alabama, Jones caught 85 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns, returned 66 punches for 719 yards and three touchdowns, and ran 68 kickoffs for 1,727 yards and two touchdowns.
Shunned in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jones signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins. He was bothered by a hamstring problem during training camp and was exonerated with an injury designation on September 5, 2015. After erasing the exemptions and returning to the Miami disabled reserve list, he was released with a settlement. for injuries on September 9, the day before the regular season began.
In 2016, Jones re-signed with Miami in March. But he was released in May. He then signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, but was fired before the regular season began. Jones returned to the CFL a year later with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Jones joined the Roughriders practice team on July 17, 2017, and Saskatchewan elevated him to the active roster three weeks later.
On August 5, Saskatchewan traded Jones to the Eskimos.
During three CFL seasons, Jones has played primarily as a kicker, with eight catches for 49 yards. He returned 91 kickoffs for an average of 22.5 yards, 155 punts for an average of 12.0 yards and three touchdowns and seven unsuccessful field goal attempts for an average of 33.1 yards, including a 100-yard yard.
According to the CFL’s original 2020 schedule, Jones and the Eskimos would have played their third game of the season on Saturday night. But the CFL has suspended its season due to the coronavirus pandemic and has not announced a plan for the 2020 campaign.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ AMarkG1.
