Ravens' Center Matt Skura Fires Back At Social Media Critics: 'My Family Is Off Limits'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore Ravens center Matt Skura had some issues with the snap during the team's 23-17 loss on Sunday night to the New England Patriots. Though analysis and criticism of those issues may be warranted, it appears that some fans took matters too far. Skura took to Instagram on Monday to address fans who sent "hateful and threatening" messages to his wife.
#Ravens C Matt Skura with a message to the fan base after last night's disappointing loss to the #Patriots. pic.twitter.com/Ax7i7Bj3cX
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 16, 2020
In the post, the 27-year-old first takes ownership and apologizes for the mishandled snaps in Sunday night's game and says he is thankful for the supportive messages that he has received. He then goes on to say that his family is "off limits" and don't deserve to be scrutinized for his performance.
"However, please know my family is off limits when it comes to hateful and threatening messages. They do not deserve to be scrutinized for something they did not do," Skura wrote. "I want to move on from this and grow so that I'm able to be at my best for the rest of the season."
Sunday was the second consecutive game in which Skura has struggled to make accurate snaps. The rain and wind in Boston may have played a role but the home team didn't have similar problems.
Skura had two off-target snaps that led to significant loss of yardage, one for 13 yars on fourth down and another that slipped by quarterback Lamar Jackson for a 16-yard loss.
Skura has gone from an undrafted free agent in 2016 to develop into a four-year starter for the Ravens. He worked his way back from a torn ACL, PCL and MCL in his knee around this time last year. His wife Emma, who received the messages on social media, was a big part of his comeback according to Jamison Hensley at ESPN:
"Skura's comeback was helped by his wife Emma. To make sure Skura reported to camp on time and didn't miss out on the birth of their son Henry, Emma followed her husband in a caravan from their home in North Carolina, driving 450 miles in a fully packed Ford Expedition while nine months pregnant."
Skura is now looking ahead to this week's matchup against the Tennessee Titans.