Sadly, this world is filled with stupidity and blinding ignorance, the kind that was on display earlier this week when Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward scored the most important goal in his professional hockey career during overtime of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Shortly after the puck hit the twine the Internet did what the Internet does: it gave racist morons a voice. There were words on Twitter that won’t be typed here regarding Ward’s skin color, as if that was remotely relevant to his overtime heroics.
What happened to Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu last night during the first round wasn’t on that level of ignorance and hatred, but there was still a staggering amount of stupidity during what could have been a life-changing moment.
Just like most potential first-round picks, Sanu was having a draft party Thursday night. Knowing he could be a late round pick, he naturally became nervous as the picks ticked down, and the round advanced into the late 20s. Then with the Bengals on the clock at No. 27 after they traded down, the phone rang.
Imagine the loud room suddenly going silent, and Sanu nervously picking up the phone. On the other end was a voice that identified itself as a member of the Bengals’ front office, and the message was exactly what Sanu wanted to hear: he was a Bengal, and officially a player in the National Football League.
Except he wasn’t, and when Roger Goodell came to the mic he announced Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler as the Bengals’ pick.
Now imagine the confusion in the room that faded into anger and then disappointment. Sanu had just experienced what he thought was one of the best moments of his life, and then it was ripped away. He had been punked by a brain dead prank caller who thought he was being a comedian.
Both Sanu and his agent tweeted about the news in celebration, tweets that had to be rescinded moments later. Sanu’s agent also called the prank caller, and he showed no remorse, say it was just a joke. Judging by his latest tweets, Sanu is taking his latest life lesson in stride , and he’ll almost surely be drafted in the second round tonight.
But as ESPN’s Jamison Hensley notes, this incident could add another unfortunate step to what should be a time of celebration for a prospect with his friends and family:
This cautionary tale means there now needs to be another item added to the checklist for potential draft picks. They can’t just celebrate when getting a call from a team on draft day. They have to conduct an interview of the person on the line. Players have to make sure the call is from a legitimate number and get proper identification of the person calling. That’s just sad.
Yep, people are stupid.
Today in idiocy: The prank phone call Mohamed Sanu received last night
Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Commentary on Apr 27, 2012
Sadly, this world is filled with stupidity and blinding ignorance, the kind that was on display earlier this week when Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward scored the most important goal in his professional hockey career during overtime of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Shortly after the puck hit the twine the Internet did what the Internet does: it gave racist morons a voice. There were words on Twitter that won’t be typed here regarding Ward’s skin color, as if that was remotely relevant to his overtime heroics.
What happened to Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu last night during the first round wasn’t on that level of ignorance and hatred, but there was still a staggering amount of stupidity during what could have been a life-changing moment.
Just like most potential first-round picks, Sanu was having a draft party Thursday night. Knowing he could be a late round pick, he naturally became nervous as the picks ticked down, and the round advanced into the late 20s. Then with the Bengals on the clock at No. 27 after they traded down, the phone rang.
Imagine the loud room suddenly going silent, and Sanu nervously picking up the phone. On the other end was a voice that identified itself as a member of the Bengals’ front office, and the message was exactly what Sanu wanted to hear: he was a Bengal, and officially a player in the National Football League.
Except he wasn’t, and when Roger Goodell came to the mic he announced Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler as the Bengals’ pick.
Now imagine the confusion in the room that faded into anger and then disappointment. Sanu had just experienced what he thought was one of the best moments of his life, and then it was ripped away. He had been punked by a brain dead prank caller who thought he was being a comedian.
Both Sanu and his agent tweeted about the news in celebration, tweets that had to be rescinded moments later. Sanu’s agent also called the prank caller, and he showed no remorse, say it was just a joke. Judging by his latest tweets, Sanu is taking his latest life lesson in stride , and he’ll almost surely be drafted in the second round tonight.
But as ESPN’s Jamison Hensley notes, this incident could add another unfortunate step to what should be a time of celebration for a prospect with his friends and family:
Yep, people are stupid.