Sorry, ladies, didn’t mean to offend.
That’s the sentiment Osi Umenyiora conveyed yesterday via the magical world of Twitter after he got the ball rolling last week by posting what could be perceived as anti-female tweets.
“I apologize to any woman offended,’’ Umenyiora wrote. “It won’t happen again.”
The background: Umenyiora last Sunday continued his verbal warfare with Eagles running back LeSean McCoy by writing “Happy Mothers Day Lesean Mccoy! Enjoy your special day!!” This was the continuation of a theme Umenyiora picked up last summer, annoyed when McCoy on Twitter (where else?) chimed in about Umenyiora’s contract dispute, calling him overrated, soft and only the third best defensive end on the Giants.
Umenyiora responded by calling McCoy “she’’ and “a woman’’ and the ever-popular “Lady Gaga.’’ The jabs caught the attention of ESPN’s Sarah Spain, who posted an article on ESPN.com ripping Umenyiora for casting women in such a negative light.
That prompted Umenyiora to tweet that the article “absolutely correct’’ and adding via Twitter “I wasnt thinking about it from that perspective. I apologize to any woman offended. It won’t happen again.” There was no apology to McCoy.
Umenyiora, who continues to bristle at the Giants for not giving him a new contract, did not attend the Giants’ Super Bowl championship ring ceremony on Wednesday night. He tweeted that he’s currently in Germany.
* Giants co-owner John Mara told his team at Wednesday night’s ring ceremony that this Super Bowl victory hit he and his family in a very personal way.
“I just want you to know how much this means to my family,” Mara told the players and coaches. “We have been here with this team since the beginning in 1925, through great seasons and a number of not-so-great seasons. This is not just a business to us, this is personal. Much of my childhood and early adult years were spent suffering with some pretty poor teams. There were years when the team was ridiculed and scorned by the media and by our fans.
“So to get to this point today, where we’re the world champions again, and to have an organization that is universally respected and, to my thinking, is second to none, is very special indeed.
“Most players never get an opportunity to wear a ring like this and call themselves world champions. It’s something they can only dream about.
“So cherish the ring, enjoy it, and remember what it took to earn it — hard work, dedication, belief in the team concept, belief in yourself, belief in your teammates. You now know what it takes to be a world champion. Congratulations men.”