Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is at the center of a Twitter firestorm after telling a young Giants fan who wanted an autograph to, "Get the right jersey, son," but don't let that convince you he's anti kid.
Lawrence's interaction with a young fan was recorded on video and shared online. The video shows the boy standing outside AT&T Stadium Sunday alongside other fans when he spots Lawrence walking up with two other men.
The boy, wearing a blue Saquon Barkley jersey, steps out in front of Lawrence but backs off when he realizes Lawrence wasn't slowing down. As Lawrence strides past, he tells the boy, "Get the right jersey, son."[[559970971,C]]
Lawrence then boards a bus without looking back. The young fan, dejected, retreated.
While some found Lawrence's comment funny, others on social media weren't happy with him refusing an autograph to a kid.[[559942071,C]]
Lawrence responded on Twitter, saying it's crazy fans are attacking him for not signing an autograph for a kid and that there are plenty of kids in Cowboys jerseys who never get to meet a player. He added that he's honest with his own kids and that he will never treat other children better than his own, "so suck it up." Lawrence added the hashtag, "#SorryNotSorry."
While the original tweet has been shared more than 500 times, Lawrence's RT with comment has sparked 1,200 comments with 2,300 shares and nearly 11,000 favorites.
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Don't let the video convince you that Lawrence is anti kid.
"I sign hundreds of autographs, but I can sign autographs when I want to, that's my choice," Lawrence said Tuesday at a charity bowling event for the Boys & Girls Club of Collin County. "Other than that, let's just leave it where it's at. The kid will be OK. Trust me, I know. If not, then I'll write a public apology to him for hurting his feelings. Other than that, hopefully he gets a Demarcus Lawrence jersey for Christmas."
Before the start of school, Lawrence provided 350 backpacks to children in the Frisco community and, at Tuesday's event, he rewarded 80 children from the Boys & Girls Club of Collin County with an evening of games, bowling and backpacks. Supplies for the backpacks and shoes were provided by WSS.