Former NFL QB Robert Griffin III received a furious backlash on X on Thursday after saying that MLB legend Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier was not “political.”

Robinson recently became the subject of controversy after an article honoring his military service was taken down from the Department of Defense (DOD) website, as part of President Trump’s purge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from government sites. Robinson was not explicitly targeted; instead, the article was one of several targeted by an AI program highlighting such articles.

After DOD became aware of the situation, the article was restored.

That did nothing, however, to stop the mainstream sports media and their punditry from filling vast amounts of airtime decrying anti-DEI efforts and President Trump.

Into those turbulent waters, waded former ESPN host and former NFL QB Robert Griffin III, who posted this message on X.

Griffin received significant pushback for the post, with most X users believing he was referencing the coverage devoted to the Jackie Robinson issue. Griffin returned to X to clarify that he was not talking about Robinson, but his clarification didn’t exactly land.

“Breaking the color barrier in baseball in itself is not political,” Griffin said. “Jesse Owens winning 4 Gold Medals in itself was not political. Jack Johnson becoming the 1st Black Boxing Heavyweight Champ in itself was not political. They all had political ramifications. They all challenged the status quo of racial barriers to fair play, race relations, and civil rights. That should always be acknowledged and never forgotten. They shouldn’t be used as an excuse to push political agendas on sports shows on national television to an audience there to consume sports content.”

Griffin’s assertion that Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier was “not political” led to an even more furious backlash.

Undeterred, Geiffin posted another message explaining his position.

“Jackie Robinson playing baseball in itself was not political. Jackie was signed because he was extremely talented, not as a political statement,” Griffin wrote. “It was MADE POLITICAL by others because it challenged the deeply entrenched system of segregation in the U.S. That’s a fact.”