Heisman Trophy Winner Kyler Murray Apologizes for Homophobic Tweets

Murray has issued an apology, explaining that he did not understand the severity of the word the way he does today.

Kyler Murray poses for a photo after winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy
Getty

Image via Getty/Mike Stobe

Kyler Murray poses for a photo after winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy

Hours after winning the Heisman Trophy, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was under fire after a series of anti-gay tweets from 2011-12 were unearthed. He mockingly using the term "queer" in a number of them.

Murray issued an apology soon after, explaining that he did not understand the severity of the word when he used it as a teenager.

I apologize for the tweets that have come to light tonight from when I was 14 and 15. I used a poor choice of word that doesn’t reflect who I am or what I believe. I did not intend to single out any individual or group.

— Kyler Murray (@K1) December 9, 2018

The two-sport athlete has joined a list of celebrities who've been criticized for similar tweets. Most notably, comedian Kevin Hart refused to apologize for past homophobic tweets and eventually stepped down from his Oscars hosting gig. Bills quarterback Josh Allen also caught flack for past anti-gay and racist tweets when they resurfaced right before the NFL Draft. He reportedly called ESPN's Stephen A. Smith to apologize.

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