Mississippi State lineman enters transfer portal after criticizing Mike Leach tweet

Did Mike Leach’s ill-advised quarantine tweet cost him one of his players?

Mississippi State defensive lineman Fabien Lovett announced on Twitter on Friday that he intended to enter the transfer portal. This came a day after Leach, his new head coach, deleted a photo of a cartoon depicting a wife sewing a noose for her husband in quarantine. Lovett had 19 tackles and a sack for the Bulldogs last season.

I have entered the transfer portal with 3 years left of eligibility.

— (@fabo_54) April 3, 2020

While Lovett did not explicitly say that the post was the reason for his decision, various retweets from his account indicated that he was deeply offended by the tweet. One from Shannon Sharpe noted the history of lynchings in the state of Mississippi, and Lovett also retweeted a fan who said that Leach’s apology was insufficient.

Good for Fabien! This being the 21century, one would expect to know what is offensive. I hope more players leave MSU and not just football. Leach's apology is not enough.

— Vincent Lee (@vinnieboiblue) April 4, 2020

Leach is known for his offbeat Twitter humor, but this wasn’t funny and was definitely inappropriate. It looks like it cost him one of his players, too.