Raiders Rookie and Former Ohio State Star Damon Arnette Apologizes for Comments on Spongebob Being Gay
By Jerry Trotta
Nickelodeon sent shockwaves on social media over weekend when it revealed that Spongebob Squarepants, a beloved children's cartoon character, is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The news, of course, came in honor of pride month, but it didn't exactly sit well with everyone.
In particular, Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Damon Arnette found himself in hot water after he shared his contention with the announcement. As a result, the No. 19 overall pick posted an apology on Twitter in which he asserted that he is "in no way a homophobe."
I’m sorry if I offended a lot of you guys. I’m in no way a homophobe, I just feel like a sponge shouldn’t be gay OR straight. It’s a sponge for kids.
— Damon Arnette (@damon_arnette) June 15, 2020
Arnette caught some flak after showcasing an alarming lack of sensitivity to Nickelodeon's announcement. In the tweet, the Ohio State product tried to convey the absurdity behind a sponge being gay.
So now spongebob gay lol... 2020 doing so many people wrong. He a sponge.. they tryna expose these kids to everything to early.
— Damon Arnette (@damon_arnette) June 14, 2020
The 23-year-old CB also received criticism after he was caught retweeting a post from a parody Spongebob account that responded to the news. The tweet loudly refuted the network's announcement and contained NSFW language.
For those interested, the tweet is still available on Arnette's profile as the former Buckeye has strangely opted against deleting it.
The Raiders should probably advise him to avoid disclosing all of his thoughts on social media, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like this.