September 15, 2023
Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison said he was bombarded with hostile and racist messages from the team's fans after Thursday night's 34-28 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
In an Instagram story, Mattison shared screen shots of one of the messages he received after the Vikings fell to 0-2. The message referred to Mattison as the N-word and other racial slurs, told him to commit suicide and disparaged him for his performance in the loss.
"Y'all can come at me all you want about fantasy (football) and, 'You Suck' Blah Blah Blah, I really could care less," Mattison wrote. "But this s*** is unacceptable ... I hope the 60+ people who decided to come at me with disgustingly disrespectful messages tonight in DM's and comments, really reflect ... on what you say and how it could truly affect someone."
He added, "Under my helmet, I am a human. A father A son. This is sick."
The Vikings released a statement Friday supporting Mattison and urging fans to fight against racism. The NFL shared a similar statement.
We are sickened by the hatred and racial slurs directed toward Alexander Mattison following last night's game. pic.twitter.com/cdCRbxipr6
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2023
Mattison, 25, rushed for 28 yards, had a fumble and dropped some passes out of the backfield during the game. The Vikings had four turnovers in the loss, but still managed to make the game close late in the fourth quarter. This season, Mattison has been expected to take on the lead running back role in Minnesota after the departure of star Dalvin Cook.
The NFL Players Association issued a statement condemning the fans' behavior toward Mattison and urged other players to seek information about how to filter hateful messages from their social media inboxes.
We’re not going to share the images of the disgusting behavior and messages that @AlexMattison22 was subject to last night, but we will call out and stand against this type of hate.
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) September 15, 2023
Any players who’d like info on filtering their inboxes, please head to our IG or send us a DM.
