Hey so I’m just going to say that yeah Mesut was niave as shit posting that picture. But the point of his current rant on instagram is that german media ALWAYS brings up his Turkish heritage, whether it’s relevant or not. Even before that picture. As he said in the post, “I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.” Did he set himself up by posting that picture? Yeah, but the resulting scandal was a continuation of fundamentally anti-immigrant criticism that has followed Özil throughout his career. By not allowing Mesut to say his piece and explain his actions and how he inturn paid for those actions (through having his name dragged through the dirt, through being verbally harassed by “fans,” through having to meet with officials in Berlin to explain a picture, etc) you are contributing to the unfair treatment of high profile individuals of immigrant backgrounds. You are holding them to a different standard than their white counterparts who also make mistakes and are able to continue there careers once they face consequences. Mesut no longer feels he can continue. Was the picture bad? Yes. Did Özil face consequences? Yes. Has Özil been a popular scapegoat for German media? Yes. Am I surprised he’s had enough? No.