"I realize it was dumb" - Jonathan Allen apologizes for offensive Hitler comment in bizarre admission
Jonathan Allen of the Washington Commanders has come under fire for recent comments he made in response to a question posed to him on Twitter.
The star defensive lineman took some heat when asked if he could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, and he chose Hitler as one of them.
Following the backlash received from Twitter, he deleted his tweets and immediately apologized, stating his intention was never to offend anyone.
"Early I tweeted something that probably hurt people and I apologize about what I said. I didn't express properly what I was trying to say and I realize it was dumb."
Early I tweeted something that probably hurt people and I apologize about what I said. I didn’t express properly what I was trying to say and I realize it was dumb!
On Wednesday morning, Allen ran an AMA event where he was open to answering questions from fans on Twitter. The Twitter user @NickChaps96 asked the defensive lineman, "You can have dinner with three people, dead or alive. Who are you inviting?"
@ElMoppotheGreat @NickChaps96 @jonallen93_ https://t.co/SezdDydCyp
The former University of Alabama standout answered his grandfather, Michael Jackson, and Hitler. Two of the people he chose most understood, but Hitler's answer caught everyone by surprise.
In the now-deleted tweet, the 2016 SEC Defensive Player of the Year explained he'd pick Hitler as a guest because the football player said the German dictator was "a military genius."
"I love military tactics but honestly I would want to pick his brain as to why he did what he did."
Jonathan Allen's career in the NFL
Jonathan Allen was drafted in the first-round of the 2017 NFL draft by the (then) Washington Redskins. He is coming off one of the best years of his career where set a career-high nine sacks last season and recorded 31 assisted tackles, the most in any season of his career.
He leads a disruptive Washington defensive line and has been one of the focal points of the defense the last few years. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time this season following his impactful year.
Last season, he and teammate Daron Payne were arguing during a game on the sidelines. The Pro Bowl lineman was seen throwing a punch at Payne, and the former college teammates at Alabama had to be separated.
“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist about what sparked the scuffle. If you look at how that game went, emotions are high, things are high, things happen,” Allen added.
This appears to be a hard lesson learned for the star lineman, but it's better late than never.