It's been a rough couple of weeks for Sen. Marco Rubio. For one thing, his all-over-the-place stance on how to handle the ISIL situation has brought heavy criticism of the senator.
And now comes a pair of ill-timed tweets in which Rubio praises University of Florida quarterback Treon Harris just a day before a female student accused Harris of sexual assault.
Three days later, the tweets are still there.
Harris, a freshman standout who played for Booker T. Washington High in Miami, replaced starter Jeff Driskel against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday and rallied the Gators to a fourth-quarter 10-9 victory.
An exuberant Rubio took to Twitter to praise the Miami native:
He then took it a step further and tweeted directly at Harris:
The following morning, Harris allegedly sexually assaulted the female student inside a residence hall on campus.
The Gators suspended Harris indefinitely as Gainesville Police and the university investigate the allegations.
Harris' attorney, Huntley Johnson, said he believes that the investigation will be completed quickly and that Harris won't be charged.
"I don't think this warrants an arrest or prosecution," Johnson told the Florida Times Union.
The University of Florida released a statement following the accusations:
"University of Florida student athlete Treon Harris is accused of sexually assaulting a female student early Sunday morning in a residence hall on the UF campus. The University of Florida Police Department is investigating the incident, and UFPD has brought in the Gainesville Police Department to assist with collection and analysis of forensic evidence. The investigation is ongoing and we do not have an update regarding any charges at this time. The University of Florida and the University Athletic Association are cooperating fully."
Harris has since deleted his Twitter account. Rubio, meanwhile, keeps on trucking, not only leaving up his tweets praising Harris but continuing to tweet. He tweeted an article on the Veterans Affairs Department to his followers on Tuesday.
To be fair, Rubio isn't obligated to delete the tweets. He, of course, had no idea of the crime Harris would be accused of a day after praising the young man. And due process is still in play here.
Still, Rubio's PR people should be wary of how this all looks.
Particularly with Rubio's poorly timed choice of words: "This young man is a winner both on and off the field."
New Times reached out to Rubio's office via email but has yet to hear back.
We'll have to see how this all plays out and how the senator handles it from here on.
Until then, maybe he should just stick to just tweeting about how disappointed he is in Obama's handling of world affairs.
@marcorubio @t5_harris I wouldn't attach yourself to an Athlete Me. Rubio!! Now when/if he mucks up....your attached to him! #NotSmart
— Blizzack (@blizzack44) October 4, 2014Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
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