T.J. Ward found himself in hot water Wednesday morning after some comments he made on Twitter about Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera. The former Browns, Broncos and Buccaneers safety weighed in on Rivera being "beyond frustrated" that so many Washington players remain unvaccinated.
Per The Washington Post, Washington ranks last in vaccination status league-wide as of Monday at 60 percent. This matters greatly to Rivera, as he is immune deficient after cancer treatments he received while dealing with a squamous cell carcinoma during last season.
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Still, Ward apparently took issue with Rivera's frustration and fired off a few since-deleted tweets in response to the post.
The first one read: "Just park the Riverboat. His health is beyond that of COVID. Maybe it's just time to let go."
The second read: "Don't blame the players for your lifelong health decisions."
Thoughts on these tweets from former NFL DB TJ Ward? pic.twitter.com/oMoFtI0IZ4
— JPA Football (@jpafootball) July 28, 2021
His third tweet — the worst of all — seemed to imply that Rivera was responsible for getting cancer.
“At some point you gotta pay for them vices,” Ward wrote. “Cancer runs in my family like many American families. But also bad diets and cigarettes do as well. Except (sic) responsibility. Don’t blame and be disappointed in your 23 year olds cus they have they own bodies and opinions about their health.”
That's not a good look for Ward. Going after a cancer survivor usually isn't. But implying that they're responsible for getting cancer? That's next-level bad.
Ward apparently realized this, as he deleted the tweets not long after sending them. He then issued a statement from his Twitter account, saying, "I know you don’t chose (sic) to get cancer."
Gonna address this one time more. I was not trying be insensitive to anyone effected by the cancer. I know you don’t chose to get cancer. And I tried to clear that up. If you know me and my career you know what my support is for cancer people dealing with it. I’ve been effected
— T.J. Ward (@BossWard43) July 28, 2021
Myself closely. I didn’t mean to offend you. God bless
— T.J. Ward (@BossWard43) July 28, 2021
Ward last played in the NFL in 2017. He played eight total seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice, once with the Browns in 2013 and once with the Broncos in 2014.
