Over the weekend New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis snapped under the pressure of months of Internet trolling at the hands of New England Patriots fans, firing off a series of Instagram comments in response to hecklers who questioned him after he bolted from New England after just one season.
Revis’ comments were vulgar, rude and included many words not to be uttered around your grandmother. He said he was hacked, but that announcement came nearly a full day after the comments were made, so take that cop-out with a grain of salt.
Let’s preface this by saying that I am a New England Patriots fan, born and bred, but I hold no ill will toward Revis.
Unlike many of the Internet trolls who’ve pestered Revis since early March, I understood his relationship with the Patriots for what it was: a business one.
There was no intent to make Revis a New England icon or a long term Bill Belichick kind of guy. He was a gun for hire. He did his job, and then he left to take the next big deal.
Would I have liked to have him back? Sure. But not at the ghastly sum that Woody Johnson and the Jets signed him for.
I’d also like to point out that I’m not trying to defend the fans who poked the bear and insulted Revis in the first place. Their actions were out of line but reflect an all-too-common Internet culture that lacks respect and decency.
As a highly paid veteran in the country’s most talked about league, Revis was supposed to be better.
It’s not like we’re talking about a 23-year-old kid coming out of college with little to no experience with having fans call him out on social media, lobbing insults and slurs to provoke a response.
We’re talking about a guy who’s been in the league for a long time and who has undoubtedly faced this kind of criticism long before now.
Instead of taking the high road, Revis decided to call out fans directly, insulting their looks, their opinions, their lot in life and the size of their genitals (no, seriously).
Honestly, he sounded like a kid throwing a hissy fit because he got teased on the playground just one too many times.
This may be a story that picks up as the week progresses or it could be another quick tidbit that gets swept under the rug and forgotten come the start of the season, but that shouldn’t happen.
As one of the league’s best defensive players not named Watt or Suh, Revis is supposed to be an example. He’s supposed to be a role model and a leader in the NFL community.
He’s not supposed to go on an expletive-laden rant on social media with fans who were clearly just trying to get a response.
Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to take a good long look at this situation and fine Revis to set an example for all those players who think it’s OK to spout off at fans who don’t like their decisions.
No one likes the gun for hire. Revis had to have known that when he took the money from the Jets. As a smart guy who’s been around the league several times now, he had to have known how that transaction was going to look in the eyes of even the casual fans.
By reacting the way he did, he was acting, to use his own words, like a d---head.
Reach the columnist at icbeck@asu.edu or follow @ICBeck21 on Twitter.
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