PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Do you think 24-year-old Kenny Gainwell is the only Eagles player who checks his phone at halftime?
Far from it.
“At halftime, everyone gets on their phone,” said return man Britain Covey. “Sometimes, it’s for motivation. Sometimes, it’s for music, but to say Kenny’s the only one that’s ever been on social media … Take your favorite player; he’s been on social media at halftime.”
The difference, of course, is that not everyone engages during halftime like Gainwell did recently.
“It was something I shouldn’t have done,” the running back said later. “I’m going to … take responsibility. I got to be better.”
Midway through the second quarter of the Eagles’ Oct. 29 win at Washington, Gainwell fumbled three yards from the end zone.
He was already beating himself up pretty good about the turnover when he got into the locker room and checking his direct messages on Instagram, seeing a fan telling him to “hold on to the football” didn’t help.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told the media the day after the game the situation had been addressed.
“Should [Gainwell] respond to someone? He shouldn’t,” Sirianni said. “We talked to him [about] being locked in and focused, and not worried about outside noise.”
For anyone in the public eye with a social media account, professional athletes included, it’s a difficult balance.
Being active on social media creates stronger connections with fans and, when done right, boosts your brand.
On the flip side, there are landmines out there. The Gainwell incident was one of the latest to offer proof.
“I think social media is like a poison to society,” Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata told Jeff McLane on the “unCovering the Birds” podcast. “There’s just no consequences. People are free to say whatever they want online.”
“In my opinion, social media — you really have to be mature to navigate it,” said Jason Kelce.
Kelce swore off social media in 2016 after his then-Twitter account was hacked.
With the success of his podcast, he’s gradually made his way back.
“I think that's one of the problems with a lot of young guys — whether it's in college, or young in the NFL — is they haven't developed that ability to really look at things constructively,” Kelce said, “and because on social media you can react instantaneously, it can get in guys’ heads.”
Gainwell, now in his third season in the NFL, found out the hard way.
“Nowadays, our whole life is based off social media,” Gainwell said. “It’s kind of tough, but you have to look past the negativity and show love for the fans [who] really do care about you.”
What do Eagles players think of social media? How do they cope with the good, bad, and everything in between? What resources does the team make available to them to help traverse such a tricky landscape?
Listen to the latest episode of “unCovering the Birds” to find out!