What in the world of fantasy football are we coming to? It’s time you so-called owners get a grip. First of all, you’re not real owners, and NFL players could care less whether your so-called team scores enough fantasy points to beat Joe Blow’s team on Sunday.
Clearly, some people don’t understand the word fantasy, which means make-believe. Yet, there’s a growing trend of fantasy football owners who feel compelled to use social media to not only criticize but threaten NFL players over their weekend performances.
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs on Tuesday exposed what he called “cyber gangsters” by revealing a tweet he received that threatened his and his family’s life. Some clown under the name Andre Rayner (@DMMeBoo) tweeted, “IF YOU DON’T RUSH FOR 50 YARDS AND 2 TOUCHDOWNS TONIGHT ITS OVER FOR YOU AND YO FAMILY.” Two minutes later, Rayner added, “FULFILL MY ORDERS STATED IN THE PREVIOUS TWEETS OR THATS YO LIFE BRUH AND IM NOT PLAYING.”
Once the tweets became public, Rayner said the threat wasn’t real, apologized and changed his Twitter handle. Hopefully, he’s in an orange jump suit soon.
Another misguided idiot believes Jacobs should have informed his followers he wasn’t playing in Monday night’s game against the Vikings, which the Giants won, 23-7. Jacobs was a late scratch with a hamstring injury, but a few bozos believe he has an obligation to let fantasy owners know his status.
Similarly, Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White was roasted on Twitter for not revealing he had a high ankle sprain after just two catches for 19 yards in the Falcons season opener. “I can’t give out an injury report before the game,” White tweeted in response. “I play real football and it would be stupid to tip the other [team] off and say I’m hurt.”
The NFL is investigating the threatening tweets and don’t be surprised if law enforcement officials come down hard on these crackpots because this stuff is getting out of hand. Ravens running back Ray Rice recently took some grief over social media from fantasy owners and he responded with his own message that read, “I was a fan of fantasy football until today so many spiteful and hateful words.”
In theory, social media is a great way for fans to hear directly from players and an excellent medium for insight into their lives and thoughts. Wide receiver Victor Cruz (@TeamVic), one of the most active Giants on Twitter, has 360,000 followers. He uses it to announce upcoming appearances, promote his fashion label and connect with well-meaning fans. Want to know where he’ll be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday? Follow him on Twitter.
But when death threats are made and tweets get personal, those fantasy morons ruin it for everyone. Keep this up and you’ll see fewer and fewer athletes and celebrities on Twitter. Who could blame them? Who needs some yahoo ripping him for not gaining enough yards or scoring enough touchdowns regardless of which team wins? Keep this up and it won’t be long before some sicko actually tries to carry out a threat.
“We’re all concerned about that type of thing,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Tuesday. “It has no business or no place in professional athletics, amateur athletics or whatever.”
Truth is, these amateur fantasy owners have no one to blame but themselves. They draft their players. They set their own rosters. Jacobs was listed on the injury report under “limited participation in practice” all week, so it was no surprise when he didn’t play. I guess these boneheads missed that.
Get a grip people, or else you’ll be filling out your fantasy teams from a jail cell.