(ESPN) – On Wednesday, Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones made his latest social media attempt to woo MMA star Ronda Rousey.
It was the latest in a string of Jones tweets that provide a glimpse of his personality away from football. It was flirty, fun and harmless (at least you’d hope, for Jones’ sake).
Players have been able to show more of themselves through social media. They’ve also been able to show a social conscience. And they should not be silenced — not by their schools, not by their coaches, certainly not by the NCAA and, most of all, not by their fans.
Jones and Ohio State teammate Michael Thomas took to social media on Thursday to tweet about a more important topic — the controversial death of Sandra Bland, an African-American woman, in a Texas jail July 13. Bland was arrested July 10 following a traffic stop for failing to use her turn signal. Her death has sparked national outrage, especially in the African-American community.