No tags, no posts, TTYL: Jets rookie David Bailey sacked social media and it’s paying off on Sundays

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — David Bailey is into posting sacks on the field, not putting up posts on social media.

The New York Jets rookie edge rusher deleted all of his apps early this season. That’s right, the rare 23-year-old professional athlete with no active accounts on X, Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat.

OMG!

So, if you were looking to tag the No. 2 overall pick in the draft in April on social media to give him a shoutout after his three-sack performance last Sunday, he’ll, well, TTYL.

“Honestly, I just feel like I spent too much time on Instagram, so I kind of just gave myself a little bit of a break,” Bailey said Friday, adding that he deleted the app in Week 1. “I don’t really know how long that break’s going to go, man. If I feel the need to download it again, I’ll get it. But for now, I think I’m good.”

Bailey was selected the AFC defensive player of the week after he had three sacks, seven total tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and nine pressures in New York’s 17-12 victory over Cleveland. Coach Aaron Glenn referred to Bailey as “relentless” and called him a “flame thrower” on the defense.

He’s the seventh player in the past 25 years to have a three-sack performance in his first five NFL games, according to Stats Perform, and the first since Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson in 2022. Bailey also joined Hugh Douglas (1995) as the only Jets rookies to have three sacks in a game.

“It felt good because I feel like that game really could have happened to anybody, especially on the D-line,” said Bailey, who was part of a pass rush that sacked Deshaun Watson eight times.

But the performance by Bailey, who has five sacks this season, stood out. So much so, that he became a buzz-worthy topic on social media this week — not that the former Texas Tech standout has seen any of it.

“You kind of start scrolling, you’ve got your Reels, it’s pretty addicting,” said Bailey, who said other than Instagram he had a Snapchat account when he was younger. “So I just felt like I was spending too much time on it. I felt like there’s time that I could have devoted to other things. Maybe like putting more time into my body, studying the playbook or just other productive things I could’ve been doing.”

Well, the social media break appears to have worked nicely for Bailey. And maybe added to a few “SMH” moments for opposing offenses.

“My oldest brother who’s in the league now actually brought that up to me,” said cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, whose brother Juanyeh plays safety for Dallas. “He was like, ‘Bro, David Bailey don’t have Instagram or social media?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t think so, bro.’ It just shows how he plays and how selfless he is.”

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