Dustin Penner scored 151 goals, played on two Stanley Cup champions and made over US$25 million (Dh91.8m) in a nine-year NHL career.
Too bad he couldn’t skate his way cleanly through Twitter. It may have cost him his second career – as an on-air TV analyst – before it even got started.
Penner’s brainless tweet about rape that was intended as humour – as well as a few more clumsy follow-ups – caused a social media buzz and earned the former winger the boot from a job on The Sports Network.
Penner was supposed to provide commentary, from a player’s point of view, as the trade deadline was reached on Monday.
That makes Penner the – oh, let’s just say – one bazillionth sports personality to suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of the little blue birdie.
In the days leading up to Penner’s pratfall alone, former baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and ESPN’s Keith Olbermann made news by trading insulting tweets with “fans”.
Nothing portends “looming disaster” quite like fame, impulsive thoughts and a Twitter account. No wonder increasing numbers of college coaches are ordering their athletes to abstain from tweeting.
As for Penner, his candid, talkative nature had intrigued TSN enough to give him some air time. He never made it.
When his first, obtuse rape tweet drew objections, Penner replied, “U idiots freaking out about this.”
Perhaps it is best that he self-destructed so early, saving TSN some future embarrassment.
For that, the network can thank Twitter and its knack for bringing out the worst in, well, too many of us.
Follow us on twitter at @NatSportlUAE