‘Did NFL just tweet this?’ Mixed reaction to league mockery of #SadManziel
I'm not sure that a professional sports league poking fun at its players is really the best way to go RT @nfl: #SadManziel???
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 9, 2014
The 2014 NFL draft got under way Thursday night, and on Twitter a big topic was the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
It took a while for a team to pick up Manziel, who was the 22nd pick in the first round, and by that time there were already a couple of trending hashtags:
#BeforeManzielGetsDrafted
and #SadManziel are the top trends on Twitter.
Twitter, you're a harsh, harsh little world http://t.co/BehKTGL5uK— FOX Sports NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 09, 2014
The NFL’s Twitter feed was responsible for one of those hashtags after sending this tweet before any team chose Manziel:
#SadManziel???
— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2014
There was a mixed reaction:
“@nfl: #SadManziel???” This has to be a joke right? How incredibly unprofessional
— Evan Eike (@DoubleE65) May 9, 2014
“@nfl: #SadManziel???” This is actually really unprofessional of the NFL to post this, but whatever.
— Brandon Sherrod (@BSherrod) May 9, 2014
“@nfl: #SadManziel???”hahHahahHhHahahAhahaha
— dylan (@BasedDilly) May 9, 2014
The NFL's official Twitter feed is trolling Manziel: RT @nfl #SadManziel???
— Adam Sternbergh (@sternbergh) May 9, 2014
Now the league is mocking him RT @nfl: #SadManziel???
— Benjamin Sorenson (@BESorenson) May 9, 2014
This WINS the night. RT @nfl: #SadManziel???
— Mark Van Baale (@markvanbaale) May 9, 2014
THIS IS SO PETTY. “@nfl: #SadManziel???”
— Lauren Noelle (@LaurenLongLegs) May 9, 2014
In a possible attempt to atone for the above tweet, the NFL reminded everybody that not being among the first few picks in the first round isn’t necessarily a bad thing:
The last time a big-name QB slipped into the lower half of the 1st round it worked out ok. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/yli1CTmDbK
— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2014
But that carried with it other issues:
@nfl now you're saving face. Trolls
— Searl (@Christofski) May 9, 2014
@nfl no u were allready a dick dont try to act like u werent a dick to him
— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) May 9, 2014
By the way, Johnny Manziel’s new team is the Cleveland Browns.
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Related:
Turns out none of the following will happen #BeforeManzielGetsDrafted