Mix-up on Twitter stirs ire toward Olympian
Twitter has changed society forever, particularly in how it has made the rich and famous accessible to the public on an unprecedented level.
It even has made some interactions between famous people public, as followers often are let in on celebrity exchanges on the social media site.
Sometimes those interactions can be unfortunate if said Tweeters are unaware of with whom they are exchanging messages.
Such is the case of Lolo Jones.
The track star responded to someone she believed to be just another football player looking to challenge her in a race, something she claims happens all the time.
When she got a message Monday from @ericlegrand52 inquiring about her interest in a race, she instinctively responded "get checked for a concussion. Clearly u've been hit in the head... Cos u arnt beating a track athlete."
The response wasn't meant to be cruel, just a lighthearted response to a typical jock looking to prove his manhood by beating one of the world's fastest women on the track.
The Olympic star didn't realize @ericlegrand52 is paralyzed former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand.
Jones was flooded with responses from people who accused her of stepping over the line, but she genuinely didn't seem to realize whom she had tweeted.
She let her followers know that she doesn't follow football closely enough to know the background of every player. LeGrand has issued several tweets imploring his followers to leave Jones alone, and Jones apologized during an interview with Yahoo! Sports.
"I'm truly sorry if I offended anyone by my tweet," Jones said. "When Eric challenged me to a race earlier, all I knew was that he was a football player, but certainly had no idea he had become paralyzed from a football injury. I thought I was tweeting in good fun like I always do with the many athletes who challenge me to races.
"I've become familiar with his story tonight, and he is certainly an inspiration to so many people, which I really admire."
■ HELP WANTED - Candidates are lining up for a chance to manage the Cleveland Indians next season.
Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr. appear to be the front-runners, but one long shot has thrown his hat into the ring.
According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Albert Belle sent an email to team president Mark Shapiro asking for an interview for the job.
"I'm just like Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny were last year," Belle told the paper with a laugh. "I'm sitting on my couch waiting for my phone to ring."
He probably shouldn't hold his breath.
Belle is most known for his tirades directed toward reporters, for throwing a ball at a rude fan and for once chasing down Halloween vandals and running one over with his car.
The daily news conferences would be outstanding, but Arnold Schwarzenegger has a better chance becoming a marriage counselor than Belle getting an interview with the Indians.
COMPILED BY ADAM HILL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
