Alexander Mattison isn't quitting social media.
Akayleb Evans did.
The two Vikings players chose different paths in navigating the negative impacts of the platforms that are big business for the NFL and its players but can open them up to harassment that is harmful to their mental health.
Mattison showed that dark side recently, when he shared on Instagram what he said was one of 60-plus "disgustingly disrespectful messages" following the Vikings' Week 2 loss in Philadelphia. The message included multiple racial slurs aimed at Mattison, who is Black, and told him to kill himself.