Former Eagles quarterback Mike Vick found himself in a bit of controversy this week when he made a comment about Colin Kaepernick and his appearance contributing to his lack of a job in the NFL.
"First thing we gotta get Colin to do is cut his hair," Vick said. "Listen, I'm not up here to try to be politically correct, but even if he puts cornrows in I don't think he should represent himself in that way in terms of the hairstyle. Just go clean cut, why not? You're already dealing with a lot. A lot controversy surrounding this issue. The thing he needs to do is just try to look presentable. Look, all the social media stuff he's doing, we get it. We understand it. It's time for Colin to step up in a different way."
The sports world reacted accordingly. That included one of the new members of the Eagles, defensive lineman Chris Long, who shared some thoughts on his Twitter page today.
"Vick thing is confusing bc he says that CK is unemployed bc of performance, but a haircut will help. What am I missing there?," he tweeted. "Also, Vick's redemption opportunity (while deserved) is way different than CK's current situation."
Long then interacted with some Twitter users who called him a leftist. Chris's response: "I'm not a leftist, moron. I'm trying to make sense of why 1 of the best 32 QBs on [earth] doesn't have a job + we're talking about his haircut?"
Long then pointed out his own appearance isn't exactly clean cut and he did just fine last season.
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"I had a dirty mullet last year + worked for that company you love. You know, the 1 w the 5 rings on your background that you'll never touch," Long wrote, referring to the New England Patriots.
But it's his final point that I think most of us can agree on.
"Irony is that MV actually says he thinks Kaep's social action is a good thing. That's what makes the call for an image revamp strange," he said.
And it's true. Either Kaepernick is a good enough football player to have a job in the NFL or he isn't. His appearance should have absolutely nothing to do with it. End of story.
We've embedded some of Long's tweets below for more context.
Vick thing is confusing bc he says that CK is unemployed bc of performance, but a haircut will help. What am I missing there?— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
Also, Vick's redemption opportunity (while deserved) is way different than CK's current situation.— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
I'm not a leftist, moron. I'm trying to make sense of why 1 of the best 32 QBs on 🌎 doesn't have a job + we're talking about his haircut? https://t.co/k3j6CCbJ13— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
I had a dirty mullet last year + worked for that company you love. You know, the 1 w the 5 rings on your background that you'll never touch. https://t.co/RrwfzmNEux— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
Irony is that MV actually says he thinks Kaep's social action is a good thing. That's what makes the call for an image revamp strange.— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
That's something I'd like to know, but there are a handful of teams I think he's a starter for. https://t.co/DdbmO28Sfr— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 19, 2017
