Vikings' Alexander Mattison talks impact of racist DMs he received following Eagles loss
EAGAN, Minn. — For the first time, we're hearing from the Minnesota Vikings running back about the disgusting racist messages he received.
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It was our first chance to talk with Alexander Mattison after Thursday's game, coming off their long weekend. He said it's not the first time he's received direct messages like the ones he got after the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and that he took a while to decide whether to post about it.
The messages, from so-called Vikings fans, contained racial slurs. Mattison, who has been open about his mental health journey in the past, says things like this can affect his family more than him.
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"I have the tools necessary to make sure none of this affects me, in the long run, none of this affects me deeply," Mattison said. "But it's definitely something that I try to filter out and try and make sure that I can go through the steps possible to find ways to filter out as much of that as I can for myself and for my family."
Mattison said he spoke with veteran fullback CJ Ham on the plane back from Philadelphia, discussing whether to share the DMs — ultimately deciding to in hopes of reaching other people who also get sent similar messages.