Quote:
Originally Posted by Hackey
The tweets to Schilling' daughter were definitely taking it too far. I can respect him sticking up for his daughter in that situation without a doubt. As bad as it is to say I don't feel the same about Phaneuf. It was one bad tweet that should have never got to air. Fire the guy. Apologize to Phaneuf, Cuthbert, and Lupul and make amends how you feel appropriate. Make sure it doesn't happen again. Move on.
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It is a bit more complicated that that
First, there has been a campaign to spread this "rumour" for months. Similar to what Sharp is going through in Chicago, and what Burke sued for in 2013. Whether or not it starts out as a joke, the end result is that if it persists, it can smear the names of Lupul, Cuthbert and Phaneuf.
Second, there is already considerable acrimony between the Leafs and the Toronto media right now. Some people, Steve Simmons especially, are pretty much going out of their way to attack the character of the Leafs' bigger name players. TSN allowing that tweet through will only be viewed as more of the same. (For fun, follow @MLSE on Twitter. Dude is simultaneously hyper cynical about his team, but has a pathological hatred of the MSM, causing him to also be hyper defensive about it.)
Third, this is the second time in less than a year that TSN has allowed a grossly offensive tweet on air. They clearly didn't take it seriously the first time, so perhaps the threat of facing down some lawyers might cause them to make changes the second time.