Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was surprised when he got flak online for refusing to give his autograph to a New York Giants fan. He explained his side as to why he doesn't find anything wrong with what he did.
A video made rounds online of him caught on camera refusing to give a fan wearing a Saquon Barkley jersey his autograph. He was caught telling the young fan to âget in the right jersey, sonâ before getting in a car.
"Get the right jersey, son" đ
DeMarcus Lawrence signs for Cowboys fans only
(via @1Freedrugs)pic.twitter.com/ezujBlDGRU
â Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 10, 2019
While he apologizes for the sadness the young fan felt, he didn't feel that he was on the wrong for doing what he did. The team captain believes that fans are missing the point with his refusal.
âYou canât just walk around life and think you have the privilege of getting everything you want,â Lawrence said. âWhen you hear âno,' you have to be able to accept that no and move on. Maybe that no led you to going to the next person and you get their autograph. Itâs just like a door salesman: Youâre going to get some noâs when you go and sell insurance at peopleâs doors. Theyâre going to tell you no, no, no. If you keep coming home to your wife with a no, sheâs eventually going to leave you. âCause youâre not bringing no money to the table or food.â
Moreover, he said that getting used to refusal helps build character over time.
âThe noâs I got leading up to my career and being able to not get on the field with my teammates â I think that helped me out a lot in understanding where I want to be and whatâs really important to me,â Lawrence said.
There definitely could have been better ways for Lawrence to say no. However, they are athletes and are expected to at least give back to the community.
However, Lawrence definitely made some good points of his own. One can only hope that the kid does develop as a better person after a famous athlete rejected him for the entire internet to see.