After years of speculation, stalled development projects and plenty of posturing, the NFL once and for all made its return to Los Angeles with the St. Louis Rams making their return to the city they previously called home.
On top of the excitement surrounding their return, the Rams upped the ante by trading for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. It did come at a cost however, with the Tennessee Titans receiving the Rams’ first-round pick (No. 15), two second-round selections (Nos. 43 and 45) and a third-round pick (No. 76) in 2016.
The Titans also got the Rams’ first- and third-round picks in 2017. Along with the first pick in this year’s draft, Los Angeles received Tennessee’s fourth- (No. 113) and sixth-round (No. 177) selections.
In the time leading up to the draft, the Rams were said to be mulling over selecting quarterback Jared Goff out of the University of California, Berkley, and North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz.
On Thursday evening, the Rams made their selection official, drafting Goff No. 1 overall. While it marked a monumental moment in the California native’s life, Goff found himself in the spotlight for a 2013 tweet.
As a San Francisco Giants fan, Goff appeared to have little love lost for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, evident from his social media posting that quickly resurfaced on several Twitter timelines:
I really hope Yasiel Puig gets a fastball in his ribs tomorrow
— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) July 29, 2013
Set to quarterback a franchise in a city where the Dodgers reign as the most prominent baseball team, Goff said he’d already taken flack over being a fan of the rival Giants, per LA Daily News reporter Jack Wang’s:
Jared Goff, on being a fan of the @SFGiants: "I've gotten a lot of grief about that already. Trust me."
— Jack Wang (@thejackwang) April 29, 2016
Puig welcomed Goff to Los Angeles open arms, with a response on Friday:
@JaredGoff16 Big hug, Welcome to LA, I show you around, be my guest to @Dodgers game #PuigYourFriend #PuigNotLate https://t.co/85B1djlAGM
— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) April 29, 2016
While Puig was only one month into his Major League career at the time of Goff’s tweet, he had already created quite the stir. Many were torn when it came to Puig, either loving his hustle plays and theatrics, or taking issue with his grandeur style.
The day before Goff shared his unflattering hope, Puig launched his first career walk-off home run against the Cincinnati Reds. The game following Goff’s message was accompanied by a 1-for-4 performance against the New York Yankees, where Puig scored the first run of the game.
While Goff may draw the ire of some fans for the old tweet, he can take some solace in Larry Nance Jr. managing to win over Los Angeles Lakers fans despite his controversial 2012 tweet about Kobe Bryant.
