As news that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was not going to be charged after a sexual assault investigation broke, many media outlets took to Twitter to share the information with their followers.
Most went the conventional route tweeting strictly the news, but NBC Sports Radio decided to get a little creative:
The tweet, which was screenshot and reposted by pretty much everyone who saw it, received so much backlash that it was almost immediately taken down.
The tweet is insensitive on many levels. It disregards the seriousness of the allegations and places more importance on the Heisman Trophy than the investigation itself. No one should celebrate anything that came out of Thursday’s news conference. Yes, Winston was cleared and that should bring some measure of joy to him, his family, Florida State and Florida State supporters, but you can't lose sight of the fact that the FSU quarterback was the subject of a criminal investigation. The accuser in the case went through and will probably continue to go through a tough ordeal as well. She’ll likely never be able to return to Florida State to continue her education.
So, there are no winners here, despite what these guys outside the Tallahassee courthouse may think.
NBC Sports Radio did provide a half-hearted, poorly spelled apology:
We regret the poor choice of words and in no way meant to minimize the seriousness of the situation
— NBC Sports Radio (@NBCSportsRadio) December 5, 2013
But in the world of social media where everything you type is permanent, it’s too little, too late.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!Follow @YahooDrSaturday