Bills Took Josh Allen Racist Tweets 'Very Seriously,' Did 'a Lot of Background'

While Josh Allen's controversial tweets may have deterred some teams from taking a chance on him, the Buffalo Bills felt comfortable enough about the former Wyoming Cowboys quarterback that they traded up in the 2018 NFL draft to get him.

That's because they spent the past 24 hours or so doing their homework.

NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported that Buffalo coach Sean McDermott called Allen's racially insensitive posts a "very serious" issue. Bills general manager Brandon Beane was sold on the signal-caller's character after doing some due diligence: "He's a really good kid. We did a lot of background on him."

Beane further explained the team's process, via WKBW's Joe Buscaglia:

Allen, at one point, was in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick. However, all of that buzz went away once the controversial social media posts came to light.

Not only did Buffalo take the former Wyoming star, but it traded up to do so. A move like that means the team has to be 100 percent confident that he could be the face of the franchise.

Allen has spent the last day trying to clear his name and defend himself. Stephen A. Smith revealed on ESPN's First Take on Thursday morning that he talked to Allen overnight, saying that the draft prospect was apologetic and noted that a handful of the tweets were pop culture references.

The 21-year-old also used the red carpet to address the matter, via NFL Network's James Palmer:

Allen can say that he was immature as a teenager and the past is behind him, but some of his new teammates in Buffalo may want to talk about the subject. He made it known after being drafted that he is willing to talk about it with the locker room.