Already at risk

forced silence on the field when he should be lauded for fiery political columns off of it.

Aaron understood this more than most. His candid and pointed depictions of the racism Black people experience in this country resulted in more death threats. Back in 2014, Aaron complained about the Republican mistreatment of Barack Obama, then went on to say that, “The bigger difference is that back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts.”

(Aaron’s used the same wording more than once — in “I Had a Hammer,” Henry once wrote that the men who run baseball “wear neckties instead of robes and hoods” while recounting an MLB owner who claimed “he’d rather hire a trained monkey than a Black.”)

Bob Nightengale, who interviewed Aaron, insisted Henry wasn’t calling Republicans racist or comparing them to the Klan. But nearly seven years later, we saw a Republican president and Republican members of Congress salute a violent insurrection, replete with Confederate flags waved and swastikas drawn in the Capitol. Journalists are still confused by a Black athlete who speaks their mind while being careful of how they speak. I believe Hammerin’ Hank called his shot.

Jones’ next post an hour after featured a video captioned “Twitter vs reality.” The clip shows two dogs barking at each other, but only while being separated by a gate. Once the gate is lifted, the dogs stop showing their fangs. The Jones’ implication is obvious, given the online drag he was still undergoing: None of you people would speak up if you had to face any real consequences.