An Open Letter To Robert Klemko and The MMQB Team

Robert,

When an acquaintance tagged me in a video and mentioned that I needed to work on my tackling skills, I giggled thinking that one of our mutual friends must have posted a Snapchat from earlier in the day on Twitter. Unfortunately, I was wrong. You — a “journalist” covering the NFL — recorded a video of me with my friends at a tailgate, and posted it on your Twitter account. But wait: that’s not the part that I’m mad about. I’m okay with keyboard warriors joking about my form or even making petty comments about my appearance. However, what I am mad about is the comment that accompanied your tweet.

You claimed that someone at the tailgate yelled “ ‘tackle the Muslim’, then a young lady obliges.” Unfortunately, that young lady was me. After I confronted you to retract your statement, knowing that neither myself nor anyone I was with made that statement OR even heard anyone else make a foul statement, you refused. In fact, you even talked down to me. You continued to repeat — through a series of now deleted tweets — that the statement was made before you started filming the video. However, I have video coverage (#thanksSnapchat) from the minutes and moments leading up to my tackle, and not once does someone yell anything of that nature. I offered to show you them, but you didn’t respond. Guess it’s not fun being called out, eh?

Lucky for me, anyone with a brain could tell that you were trying to turn some good-natured fun (that happens at every Bills mafia tailgate) into fodder for your social justice circle jerk. Exhibits A, B, C, and so on are included below:

Let me reiterate my point: I don’t care that the video is out there. I think the world needs more fun, laughter, and good-natured antics. If I can contribute to people getting a good laugh, I’m cool with that. But I will refuse to become the focal point of racially charged accusations. The world doesn’t need anymore hatred; I’m sure we can both agree on that.

When I challenged you, you then claimed that it wasn’t me or my friends who made the comments, but a random guy in a blue hat. Very generic and convenient, considering our colors are blue and red. (However, it’s worth nothing that prior to me confronting you you claimed that MULTIPLE people made the statement, not just one.) But despite your admission of my innocence, you still refused to clear me from connection to the statement. As other news outlets (including the large metropolitan paper from my hometown) picked up the stories, you remained silent. You were okay with letting the little Bills fan from the tailgate become the center of a mighty accusation.

Yes, I get it. You admitted that I wasn’t associated with the comments, but by leaving the tweets up and continuing to defame my character, you implied that I was, in fact, associated. Because of you saying I tackled the dummy in response to a racist statement, I was called racial slurs myself. People accused me of listening to my “master” and “siding with white men who hate me.” But that didn’t bother me, because the overwhelming majority of responses to the video were in support of me and the fact that there is no such record of anyone making that statement.

So, my dear Robert, let me tell you a few things you should know but don’t want to hear. (Peter King, Mark Mravic, and Trenni Kusnierek, this is for you too.)

1. I didn’t even know I was tackling a dummy dressed as Kaepernick. When we walked by the tailgate, I recognized the group of guys who always dress up a dummy at the tailgate to be the opposing team’s quarterback. Since it was a lovely day and I was in no rush to get into the stadium, I decided to give it a shot myself. I had no idea that it was supposed to be Kaepernick. Yes, I saw the afro. But newsflash, a lot of men in professional sports are black. I thought nothing of the afro. Not to mention, it could have been a silly accessory — I didn’t assume the garb was of a racial nature. I realize that the shirt he was wearing said number 7, but you couldn’t have paid me $10,000 to guess Kaep’s number before yesterday afternoon. I knew who he was and what he stood (or rather, knelt) for, but that was it. I didn’t even know he was a quarterback. Thanks to you, I had people accusing me of being a racist and disrespectful for Kaepernick. Which leads me to number 2.
2. I defended Kaepernick all damn day. Much to the disagreement of many of my friends — and the guy in section 327 who I got into an argument with — I firmly support Kaepernick. Do I agree with his delivery? No. I cry during the national anthem and am a patriotic citizen who is proud to be from the USA. For goodness sakes, as I write this I am staring up at the American flag that hangs proudly in my bedroom. But like it or not, I realize that Kaepernick absolutely has a point, and as a fellow citizen of the United States of America, he has every right to exercise his freedom to peacefully protest just as much as my next door neighbor has the right to shoot deer. A quick look in your Twitter feed shows that you are obsessed with promoting your race-oriented agenda. That may be your game, but it’s not mine. You clearly wanted to create an angle for the video — which basically everyone realizes — but I will not be attached to racist notions. I am many questionable things: goofy, country, anxious, and really bad at soccer… but I am not a bigot.
3. You are the epitome of why our media is failing our country. Because instead of focusing on the issues facing our country, we give air time to Ken Bone. And instead of finding a real narrative to report, you craft one about an innocent bystander. We live in a society where, especially thanks to the Internet, someone like you can create a story that could ruin someone like me. You posted a video, without a direct quote or even a witness corroborating the alleged slur, and left it to be picked up and duplicated throughout the Internet. Which leads me to number 4.
4. We all have a past. Let me start with mine. Back in the day, I used to run a popular gossip blog about a certain celebrity. I’ve had my 15 minutes of tween fame. I’m okay with that. But you know what I learned? Don’t publish something if you cannot validate its authenticity. When I broke the story about Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez dating many years ago, you better believe that I checked GPS coordinates, had multiple sources, and zoomed in our paparazzi photos to spot Selena’s infamous birthmark. So for you to carelessly throw a video onto your Twitter feed for thousands of people to see is incredibly irresponsible. Even at the tender age of 17-years-old, I knew that. Why don’t you? Thanks to you, my name is now irrevocably attached to something that is untrue. But you know what IS irrevocably true? Your criminal history for assault. So I guess I’ll take a washed up blog and a goofy Kaepernick tackle video over a wrap sheet any day.
5. You had an agenda, and I know it. Your pal Trenni tried to defend you, saying reporters gain nothing but headaches from going viral. Are you kidding me? I’m laughing too. Y’all gain everything from going viral. Followers, impressions, opportunities. Please note, she later acknowledged that it was likely that I didn’t hear any such statements being made, but the point is still the same — you thirsty journalists are all the same: willing to pimp out an unknowing civilian for your own personal gain. Too bad you can bet your bottom dollar that I won’t be turning any tricks for you.

P.S. No one even thinks Kaep is a Muslim, so what a dumb rumor to start. Are you sure you’re not the one who had a few too many yesterday afternoon?

So in conclusion:
Robert, you are a jerk, a scumbag, and a lousy charlatan of a “journalist.” You won’t fully retract your statements? Fine. But don’t come to a Bills tailgate again, or a football dummy won’t be the only thing getting tackled.

Oh wait, I don’t commit assault. Guess that makes one of us.

Sincerely,
Alexis Dent

UPDATE: On February 21, 2018, I received the following email from Robert Klemko, 16 months after the initial incident:

Hey Alexis,

I was having a conversation with an NFL coach I respect and I told him the one thing I regretted about that whole incident was how dismissive I was of you, on Twitter and in emails. He told me I ought to tell you that, so I’m telling you now. I’ll always maintain that I heard two guys yelling “tackle the Muslim” right when you showed up, because that’s what I heard. But that’s no excuse for talking down to you when you raised your concern. I’m sorry for that.

Before I decided to email you, I pulled up some of your work, in particular your essay on mental illness. I thought it was extraordinarily brave.

Hope you’re well.