Kenny Gainwell was already in a bad mood when he got to the Eagles’ locker room at halftime Sunday.
His fumble inside the Washington 5-yard-line midway through the second quarter derailed what should have been a touchdown drive and made the Eagles’ path to a win over the Commanders that much harder.
When he got to the locker room, things got even worse.
“I always look at my phone at halftime,” Gainwell said at his locker Friday. “I either text my parents or text my girlfriend. It’s just a thing I do.”
Before he put his phone down, he saw an Instagram post from an Eagles fan saying, “Hold on to the football, you f—g bum.”
He responded: “Lil boy don’t text me.”
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Big mistake.
The exchange went viral and it was a bad look for the 24-year-old running back.
“Just a wrong click and I just got mad because I was already upset with myself fumbling right before halftime,” he said. “So it was just the heat of the moment.”
Nick Sirianni had a chat with Gainwell about how to respond – nor not to respond – to angry fans on social media, and Gainwell said he learned from the incident.
“Basically just understanding that it was something that I shouldn’t have done because I’m a public figure and I take that responsibility,” he said. “Just taking the stand for it and just understanding that I’ve got to be better.
“Nowadays, our whole life is based off social media so it’s kind of tough for us, but you’ve got to kind of look past the negativity and continue to just show love for the fans that really do care about you.”
Most of Gainwell’s career he hasn’t been subject to that sort of criticism.
He averaged 4.4 yards per carry with 56 receptions and 953 scrimmage yards in his first two years out of Memphis, and then had 236 scrimmage yards in the postseason last year, and that’s rare production for a 5th-round pick.
But this year has been largely disappointing, although his role has expanded and he’s become the two-minute drill and red-zone specialist. Gainwell is averaging only 3.0 yards per carry – lowest by an Eagles running back with 50 carries after eight games in 25 years – and the fumble didn’t help.
That’s when the Instagram user let him have it.
“I mean, that’s going to always happen,” he said. “That’s going to always happen. We can’t control that. Everybody’s going to have an opinion. So it’s what they’ve got to say. (What’s important) is how we respond. We’re supposed to (not) respond back to (something like) that.
“When something bad happens, you’re going to get something that you might not like. So you just have to know how to handle it.”
Gainwell did finish the game with five catches – 2nd-most of his career – for 30 yards, including a 17-yarder in the third quarter, his longest play from scrimmage this year.
“Just playing my role,” he said. “It just feels good. Just having that trust from my coach and just attacking it, just being ready when you’re ready.”
And why are his numbers down so dramatically this year?
“I have no idea,” he said. “I’m just here to do a job and take care of that job as much as I can.”
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