It won't be easy for Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Jake Fromm to earn his new teammates' trust back, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said Friday.
A day earlier, a text message from Fromm in which he suggested guns should be priced to a point where only "elite white people" can afford them became public. The former Georgia star apologized later Thursday, both to the team and the public.
Daboll said Fromm's actions will have to back up his promise to "commit myself to being part of the solution in this country."
"He knows that he has a lot of work to do to earn the trust of his teammates back," Daboll said. "And I'm a big believer in actions speak louder than words. So I know he'll be committed to that. We have a strong leadership group, a strong culture in our room. Jake is a young man who apologized and, you know, where we go moving forward.
"He's got a lot to do to earn the trust and confidence of the players and everyone else in the building back. I know he'll work hard to do that."
Shortly after Fromm apologized publicly Thursday, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the Bills' culture and leadership in the locker room would be able to sift out "the real from the not real."
Daboll on Friday also spoke on the team's internal culture, crediting general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott.
"Sean and Brandon have really done a good job of really cultivating what we have here," Daboll said. "It's about bringing the right people in. People that are hardworking, that are smart, that treat people like they want to be treated. These are tough times, challenging times. And you want to associate yourself with people that are good people that are willing to do the right thing.
"We have a bunch of those guys not only in our locker room, but on the coaching staff and in the building as well. And that's what our focus is, is to bond with one another, to help each other out, to show empathy, to do what we can do our part to try to help make things better. So we have a strong room, a strong organization. By no means is it perfect, but that's always our goal."
Working against Fromm, aside from public opinion, is the fact that he hasn't been physically around his teammates long enough to establish many relationships.
"Again, to me, action speaks louder than words. So time will tell," Daboll said. "That's what Jake's gonna have to do. And time will tell. So he's just going to have to take it day by day and prove to all of us that he's headed in the right direction, and again, the players that we have in our building, culture, the chemistry.
"I believe in those guys, and again, we'll see as you know, we'll see as we go along here."