People Aren't Happy About Jen Welter, the First Female NFL Coach, Accepting an Invitation to Floyd Mayweather's Fight

Welter has spent four days trying to explain herself on Twitter.

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Over the last few years, Floyd Mayweather has asked a host of celebrities to accompany him to the ring before fights. From Justin Bieber to Lil Wayne to the Burger King mascot, many of Mayweather's ring entrances have actually been more entertaining than his fights. But for his 49th (and final?) fight against Andre Berto on Saturday night, Mayweather has apparently decided to go in a different direction.

Late last week, TMZ Sports reported that Mayweather had invited Jen Welter—who recently became the first female NFL coach in the history of the league—to the Berto fight. He is reportedly a big fans of hers, so he offered her ringside tickets to the bout. She confirmed the TMZ Sports report on Twitter on Friday and said that she was "looking forward" to the fight:

But Mayweather didn't stop there. According to TMZ Sports, he also invited Welter to escort him to the ring before the fight. And she has reportedly accepted the invitation and "considers the whole thing an honor."

The problem with all of this, of course, is that Mayweather has a very sketchy past when it comes to domestic violence. He has spent time in jail on domestic violence-related charges and been accused of domestic violence on multiple occasions (this Deadspin report will explain it all, if for whatever reason you're not familiar with it). So while inviting Welter over, say, Bieber or Wayne could be seen as a step in the right direction for Mayweather, there are plenty of people who have criticized Welter for accepting his invitation to the fight in the first place.

Welter spent part of her weekend addressing some of the criticism that she has received, and even interacted with former Complex Sports writer Justin Block on Twitter about her decision. In a series of tweets, she revealed that she's hoping her attendance at the Mayweather/Berto fight will raise awareness about the domestic violence issue rather than come across as a show of support for Mayweather:

Others have also chimed in on Welter's decision to attend the fight. Some of them have been positive:

But the vast majority that we have seen have been very critical of Welter. Many people simply don't want to see her at the fight because of Mayweather's past:

ESPN's Michelle Beadle was especially critical of Welter's decision:

However, it doesn't sound like any of this is going to stop Welter from attending the fight. She continues to defend her decision on Twitter today:

It's unclear how much interaction Welter will have with Mayweather or what kind of a difference she'll be able to make this weekend. But if nothing else, Welter is very vocal on social media, and it seems as though she will be good about documenting her experience. So she would be worth a follow here.

Where do you stand on her decision to attend the Mayweather/Berto fight?

Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.

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