The 50 Most Controversial Tweets in Sports History

July 15, 2006 is a day that will forever live in Internet infamy. That’s right, it’s the day that Jack Dorsey’s microblogging and social network sensation, Twitter, became live and operational. It's also the day that agents and PR reps everywhere felt a cold shiver down their spines as they could almost sense that their star athlete clients would soon pass beyond the realm of press release protection. Since Twitter’s inception, sports figures have done everything from offending minorities to committing complete career suicide in 140 characters or less (we see you Donald Young) and all with the simple click of an innocent blue button.

Current Arizona Cardinal, Rashard Mendenhall, even managed to turn himself into an Enemy of the State with his controversial Twitter use. In celebration of this game changing social media tool, we've decided to look back on seven years of ratchet sports figures posts, so from Michael Jordan’s son hollering at porn stars to Troy Aikman not knowing what the hell a Direct Message is, check out, the 50 Most Controversial Tweets in Sports History.

Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)

Who: Brandon McDonald, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @bmcdonald22: "TO to da Bengals huh??? Yessss, another piece of p**** fa da Browns secondary to run a train on . . . NoHomo . . . Let's Goooo!!!! ITS TRU"
Date: 8/8/2010
Consequence: Looked like an idiot

When Brandon McDonald learned that T.O. was joining the division rival Bengals, he did what any good fourth-string cornerback would do and ran his mouth on Twitter. When Owens was asked about the tweet he responded, "Who? I don't even know who he is. Is he Ronald McDonald?" When the two met in Week 4 of the 2010-11 season Owens had a super-sized game with 10 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown.

Who: Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
Offending tweet: @Logancouture: "Phu m.".com/most-viewed/pa..."
Date: 7/26/2012
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked; deleted tweet

Any tweet that takes place post 2 a.m. is usually followed by instant regret. This one by Logan Couture was followed by denial, which we believe is code for deep regret.

Who: Braylon Edwards, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @OfficialBraylon: "Damn. Get ya knuckles ready" / "Don't fight if ou don't know how."
Date: 7/31/2011
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked

Braylon Edwards took to his Twitter right before his crew was involved in a bar fight. The next day Edwards tweeted, "Yo...Lost my phone last night someone sent tweets. Deleted them and changed my password. Sorry for the mishap hopefully never happens again!" So Braylon, let's get this straight, someone found YOUR phone, logged on to YOUR Twitter account and sent out fight messages as YOUR crew was brawling? Sounds like a hack job to us.

Who: Paul Bissonnette, Phoenix Coyotes
Offending tweet: @BizNasty2point0: "Wish I had a girlfriend so I could fart in my truck crank the heat and lock the windows."
Date: 9/11/2012
Consequence: Still single

Just one look at Paul Bissonnette's Twitter handle and it becomes a little clearer why the Phoenix Coyote's left winger shows the maturity of a middle schooler. Paul, we think your idea of a good time qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

Who: Rampage Jackson, UFC
Offending tweet: @Rampage4real: "White chicks r so much fun,I'm black n I'm going back!! Hahaha I'm silly huh?"
Date: 5/4/2012
Consequence: White chicks beware

Yes, Rampage, you are silly. Judging from other Twitter exploits, you also could care less about what your followers, or anyone else for that matter, thinks of you as well.

Who: Joe Smith, Retired Baketball Player
Offending tweet: Twitpic (see above)
Date: 2/2/2011
Consequence: Separation from his wife.

All athletes should know that if you're going to have jumpoffs, at least keep 'em in their place. Joe Smith forgot about this when a groupie of his, Deanna Marie, got out of pocket and posted Twitpics of herself with the NBA baller. Smith's wife, Yolanda, didn't take a liking to this and got into a Twitter fight with Deanna and eventually separated from Joe Smith. In this situation the only winners are the producers of Basketball Wives.

Who: Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions
Offending tweet: @reggie_bush: "Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good"
Date: 5/9/2011
Consequence: Apologized

Why should anyone be bugging out about the fact that we might have lost an entire season of one of the five major professional sports in this country? Reggie wasn't.

Who: Yuri Wright, Don Bosco Prep
Offending tweet: @YuriWright3: "Yo my pops just drove by and splash some jewish lady with mad water....
Date: 11/18/2011
Consequence: Expelled; had some scholarship offers revoked

A series of sexually explicit and offensive tweets got top football prospect Yuri Wright expelled from his high school. The cornerback was receiving scholarship offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Rutgers—all of which were in jeopardy of being rescinded. His parents later grounded him and banned him from Twitter for life. We kid. But it would make sense, right? Yuri now appears to be on his way to the University of Colorado. Good luck, Buffs.

Who: Chipper Jones, Former Atlanta Brave
Offending tweet: @RealCJ10: "Ya'll think if they took all them gators they trap in Fla ans La and put them in the Rio Grande, it wud stop the illegals from crossing? Jk"
Date: 6/8/2013
Consequence: Apologized

It’s never a good idea for a white former baseball player from the South to get involved in immigration issues, just ask Chipper Jones. This is another one of those tweets that was meant as a joke, hence the “jk” Chipper so thoughtfully ended his tweet with, but the implications are extremely offensive. It's also good to see that grammar is still not a priority in the good ol' South. Check out some of these great reactions to CJ's words.

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Who: Robert Henson, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @RedskinsLB51: "The question is who are you to say you know what's best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at McDonalds"
Date: 9/20/2010
Consequence: Apologized; deleted account

Nothing endears you to the hometown fans quite like insulting their intelligence and reminding them that their jobs suck. Robert Henson tweeted the Fed Ex faithful while on IR (that's right, dude wasn't even playing). After the season, the Redskins waived him. Hopefully he didn't burn too many bridges now that he's back on the job market.

Who: Damian Goddard, Former Sportsnet Anchor
Tweet: @heydamo: "I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage."
Date: 5/10/2011
Consequence: Employment Terminated

Dear, Damian Goddard, nobody cares what your thoughts on gay marriage are. Your “traditional and TRUE meaning,” does not speak for an entire population, nor does it represent the views of your former listeners. Good for Sean Avery for sticking up for equality, and good for Sportsnet for showing Goddard the door. Good day, sir.

Who: Troy Aikman, NFL Hall of Famer
Offending tweet: @TroyAikman: "I'm in Dallas but will be coming to LA soon...was thinking of you and wanted to say hi :)"
Date: 6/6/2013
Consequence: Embarrassed; tweet deleted

If your in the NFL Hall of Fame it's not wrong to hit on an attractive female actress via Twitter, but it's wrong to think you're sending a DM to her when you're really sending a tweet to your nearly one million followers. Sorry Troy, but it's even worse when you misspell her name, and you use emoticons. At least Mari Morrow played it all off in good spirits.

Who: Shareece Wright, San Diego Chargers
Offending tweet: @ShareeceWright: "Downtown LA looking nice. Wait till that football stadium gets built. #LosAngelesChargers"
Date: 1/6/2012
Consequence: Deleted account

San Diego Chargers fans have it kinda tough. For one, Norv Turner was their coach from 2007-2012. Two, there's rampant speculation that the Bolts will decamp up I-5 to Los Angeles at the first opportunity. So when little-used cornerback Shareece Wright tweeted about the proposed downtown LA football stadium and used the hashtag #LosAngelesChargers, San Diego fans were justifiably upset. They might've felt better about it if Shareece and his teammates had, you know, actually made the playoffs that season, instead of taking in basketball games in L.A. #justsayin

Who: Larry Johnson, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @ToonIcon: "My father played for the coach from "rememeber the titans". Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn."
Date: 10/25/2009
Consequence: Suspended by team for 10 days.

Sure, there's a fail in calling out your own coach on Twitter. But the bigger fail? Grown men talking about how cool their dads are. And your dad played for the Redskins "briefley?" At least embellish it a bit. Also, spellcheck is your friend, LJ.

Who: Michael Beasley, Phoenix Suns
Offending tweet: Twitpic (see above)
Date: 8/21/2009
Consequence: Deleted account; Checked in to rehab

The tattoo alone is a bit of a fail, but the bag of weed on the table next to the 7 Up bottle is the reason Super Cool Beas is on this list. Apparently, it's tough for NBA players to get weed carriers who can A) carry the weed; B) take Twitpics of cool tattoos; and C) manage to compose said Twitpics so they don't show said weed. But hey, if this is what landed Beasley in rehab (for pot! lolz) and made him a more-or-less productive NBA player, then maybe it was a case of failing up.

Who: Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Offending tweet: @carmeloanthony: "I got 5k for whoever see @ihatekatstacks and slap the shit out her pigeon face ass. Real talk. U fucked with the right one now."
Date: 8/29/2010
Consequence: Kat Stacks filed a police report

Real gangsters move in silence; NBA superstars who have their relationships endangered by groupies talking loose on Twitter solicit hits via tweet.

Who: Marcus Jordan, UCF Knights
Offending tweet: @SASBMJ: "@xxxrachelroxxx too bad u wasnt n the chi this weekend was ready for round 2, 1st black one, huh? dm me back boo got lot more for u $$"
Date: 5/30/2012
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked; tweet deleted.

Obviously when you're the son of the GOAT, Michael Jordan, every move you make is going to be scrutinized. But honestly, fam, what were you thinking when you tweeted this one? Of course, this tweet by Marcus Jordan was followed by the standard practice of tweeting that his account had been hacked. We're thinking celebs and sports figures should have to take a mandatory class on the difference between a tweet, and a DM. SMH!

Who: Jason Whitlock, Sportswriter for Foxsports.com
Offending tweet: @WhitlockJason: "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight."
Date: 2/10/2012
Consequence: Apologized

Insensitivity reigns supreme once again. Why is it that anytime someone goes off like Jeremy Lin did during his time as a Knick, someone is always there to try and drop them down a peg. We get the idea that bloggers/writers like Jason Whitlock need to think outside of the box in order to attract readers, but that's not an excuse to tweet something like this. Sure this got a few chuckles at first, and Whitlock probably didn’t mean it to be extremely racist, but as we’ve all learned by now, all it takes is one small click to make one major mistake.

Who: Marquis Daniels, Milwaukee Bucks
Offending tweet: @Marquis_Daniels: "Any body got a rednose pit dat u wana breed wit my Orlando raised brown eyed Doberman I have her tail n ears clipped...she's a prize fighter"
Date: 9/23/2009
Consequence: Deleted tweet; locked account

So apparently some big-time athlete (Mike Something?) got busted for running a dog-fighting operation. Did some time or whatever, and now folks get upset when people joke about dogfighting. Go figure!

Who: Steve Czaban, Hosts the Steve Czaban Show (Yahoo! Sports Radio)
Offending tweet: @czabe: "Unqualified low level team assistant dies ingesting illegal drugs. "Ladies and gentlemen, please bow your heads.""
Date: 8/9/2012
Consequence: Backhanded Apology

Another radio dude who took things just a step too far, Steve Czaban actually went there with this tweet. We think the point Czaban was trying to make was that Andy Reid’s son didn’t die in a car crash or as a result of violence, it was a self-inflicted drug overdose. But a death is a death, Steve, and a man losing his son is tragic no matter what the conditions. This is a true cheap shot, and the fact that Czaban used Twitter as the outlet to get this message across sums up the classlessness of his actions.

Who: Miguel Torres, UFC
Offending tweet: @MiguelTorresMMA: "If a windowless van was called a surprise van more people wouldn't mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises."
Date: December 2011
Consequence: Dropped by UFC

Hey Miguel, save the rape jokes for the Mike Tyson roast. For now, do what you're good at and get your face kicked in.

Who: Ray Allen, Miami Heat
Offending tweet: @sugarray20: "I'm getting there. When u masturbate think about my tongue or your clit and switching back and forth from my dick to my tongue"
Date: 3/17/2010
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked; embarrassed

Attention hackers: This is the gold standard for tweets you should send when you hack a famous ballplayer's account. Because that's totally what happened here, right? Why else would Ray change his account from @sugarray20 to @greenrayn20?

Who: Kawika Mitchell, Retired Football Player
Offending tweet: @Ka_Mitchell55: "RT @ProFootballTalk Bills add Richie Incognito#NFL--BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT THIS YR. THE GUYS A BUM. DIRTY AND ALWAYS... WILL BE. REALLY WISH I WAS PLAYIN RITE NOW. SERIOUSLY... I KNO WE'RE N NEED OF OLINE BUT THIS GUY SUKS BALLS."
Date: 12/16/2009
Consequence: Apologized

Want a good summation of the state of the Buffalo Bills circa December 2009? A 5-8 team that features an injured linebacker taking to social media to diss its waiver claim of one of the dirtiest players in the league. "I wish I was playing rite now..." so you could go against your new teammate in practice, Kawika? This whole situation suks balls.

Who: Demetrius Byrd, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @Demitius_Byrd: "hey twitt fam is it gay to like justin bieber? Cause I'm not gay but I'm fellin dat baby sng dat shit rockin right now on my cd also"
Date: 5/20/2010
Consequence: Cut by Chargers

To answer your question Demitius, no, so long as you don't get sneezed on by a gay person. 'Cause that shit's, like, totally contagious. SMH. It's 2013, people...

Who: The Iron Sheik, Professional Wrestler
Offending tweet: @the_ironsheik: "The Jose Canseco win the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for being biggest mexican piece of garbage #teamsheikie"
Date: 8/29/2012
Consequence: None

We'll let this one speak for itself. We wonder who else is a member of #teamsheikie.

Who: Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals
Offending tweet: @TM7_Era: "I'm tired of entertaing y'all! Y'all hate for every reason!! & for the record them pics are high school old!! Get a grip"
Date: 12/4/2011
Consequence: New meaning of the nickname "Honey Badger"

Tyrann Mathieu learned the hard way that you should never underestimate a scorned jump-off. After going public with his relationship on Twitter in late 2011, a few of his sidepieces put him on blast. When Mathieu called them liars and haters, they released pictures of them together, pictures of them kissing and an alleged picture of the Honey Badger's package. Mathieu went silent and groupies everywhere rejoiced.

Who: Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets
Offending tweet: @drayblatche: "@LOCLessMonsta like I said I'm done with this fake internet thing is u wanna see meet me saturday after game i can throw these things homie"
Date: 2/24/2011
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked; deleted tweet.

Twitter is the great equalizer. Well, sort of. NBA players have 10K, 100K, even one million-plus followers. You, Average Joe, have nowhere near that amount. You do have the power, with a simple @ and a little lucky timing, to get at your favorite-or least favorite—player on Twitter. Get them at the right time, as this Washington Wizards fan did to Andray Blatche back in 2011, and you, too, could be meeting an NBA star scrub behind the dumpsters.

Who: Larry Johnson, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @ToonIcon: "think about a clever diss then that wit ur fag pic. Christopher street boy. Is what us east coast cats call u."
Date: 10/25/2009
Consequence: Suspended; net loss $213,000

No really, what are you up to these days, LJ? You had two good years once Dick Vermeil took your diapers off, and then you started tweeting off. First to your coaches, then to fans that challenged you on Twitter. Then you got cut, and pfffft. Four charges of violence towards women? Yup, Twitter sounds like just the place for you to act tough.

Who: Rich Ohrnberger, San Diego Chargers
Offending tweet: @ohrnberger: "Saw a hotel maid clean my bathroom floor with toilet water.. touche madam. UNfortunately for you, I have no hobbies #bonergravyEVERYWHERE"
Date: 9/8/2012
Consequence: No free nights stay

We're not sure who should be more ashamed, Rich Ohrnberger for being a degenerate, or this hotel for allowing its cleaning staff to be so on point.

Who: Onward State and CBS Sports
Offending Tweet: @Onward_State: "Our sources can now confirm: Joseph Vincent Paterno has passed away tonight at the age of 85."
Date: 1/21/2012
Consequence: Apologized and the resignation of their managing editor.

With better technology available than ever before, news outlets are breaking stories faster than ever previously imagined. But sometimes that same advantage can come back to bite us in the ass. Such was the case for Penn State's student news organization Onward State, who reported that Joe Paterno had died on Saturday evening, a report which was later refuted by members of the Paterno family. Onward State's report was picked up by major news organizations such as CBSSports.com and The Guardian.

Devon Edwards, who was the acting managing editor at the time, said their report was based on an email they received that was reportedly sent to Penn State football players saying Paterno had died. It turns out that email was a hoax. Joe Paterno was officially reported having passed away the following morning, but the embarrassment for all organizations who ran with the story is still being felt.

Who: Darnell Dockett, Arizona Cardinals
Offending tweet: @ddockett: "Was the guys who shot some1 & the mall today was they Black? Cuz its hard 2 believe they would run in the mall!! Probaly white or mexicans!"
Date: 1/5/2011
Consequence: Apologized

Darnell Dockett is one of the funniest sports personalities on Twitter, but when it comes to public shooting sprees, he probably should use his inside voice.

Who: Chad Johnson, NFL Free Agent
Offending tweet: @ochocinco: "#Confession I remember being kicked out of Walmart at age 13 for trying on condoms in the fitting room.. I still don't know what I did wrong"
Date: 4/18/2012
Consequence: He still doesn't know what he did wrong.

We dont' know what's worse, the fact that Chad admitted to this, or the fact that as a grown man he still doesn't know why this is wrong.

Who: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M Football Player
Offending tweet: @JManziel2: "Bullshit like tonight is a reason why I can't wait to leave College Station...whenever it may be."
Date: 6/15/2013
Consequence: Apologized; tweet deleted.

Nothing like some unspecified "bullshit" to stir up some Twitter controversy. Johnny Football may love A&M, but he just has a funny way of showing it. Whatever, he's a Heisman winner.

Who: Mike Bacsik, Retired Baseball Player
Offending tweet: @MikeBacsik: "Congrats to all the dirty mexicans in San Antonio"
Date: 4/27/2010
Consequence: Lost his radio job; deleted tweet.

Admittedly drunk tweeting from a bar, c'mon son, that just sounds like a recipe for disaster. We'd say the loss of your job and the respect of anyone with Internet access is probably fair enough punishment, but you be the judge. Hey, Bascik had to do something so he wouldn't be solely known as the guy who gave up Barry Bonds' 756th career home run.

Who: Leigh Griffiths, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Offending tweet: @LeigH28: "fuck off back to your own country ya clown"
Date: 10/1/2013
Consequence: Apologized; deleted tweet

The joke's on you, Leigh. This may be how they roll in Scotland, but racism is not an accepted practice in the rest of the world, cyber or not.

Who: Donalt Young, Professional Tennis Player
Offending tweet: @DonaldYoungJr: "Fuck USTA!! Their full of shit! They have screwed me for the last time! #enoughsaid"
Date: 4/22/2011
Consequence: Apologized; deleted tweet

Well, Donald, the USTA may have screwed you for the last time, but you've certainly managed to screw yourself for the first time, publically that is. #enoughsaid

Who: Jaz Reynolds, University of Oklahoma Football Player
Offending tweet: @Jaz_R16: "Hey everyone in Austin, tx.......kill yourself #evillaugh"
Date: 9/28/2010
Consequence: Suspended

Either shooting incidents are so common in Texas and Oklahoma as to warrant nothing more than a batted eye, or Jaz Reynolds doesn't have a real good grasp of the concept of "too soon." One day after a gunman entered a University of Texas library and shot himself, and with the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Rivalry game looming, Reynolds, a Sooner wide receiver, took to Twitter with this bit of advice for Austin residents. As awesome as his original tweet? His "apology" tweet: "Everyone in austin, tx disregard that last tweet....y'all will mess around n do it lmao."

Who: Courtney Fortson, NBA D-League
Offending tweet: @Cfortson4: "Im gettin it at workouts like a dude who doesnt understand the word no from a drunk girl lol."
Date: 9/11/2009
Consequence: Suspended

So your former teammates are accused of being accomplices to rape. How to lighten the mood? Make a rape joke! On social media! Now, where does this dumb jock stereotype come from?

Who: Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona Cardinals
Offending tweet: @R_Mendenhall: "Anyone with knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel eachother"
Date: 3/15/2011
Consequence: Heated controversy

We respect the whole, "I'm an educated athlete so I'm going to use Twitter as a platform for something other then hollering at girls" steez. This tweet certainly sparked debate among athletes, pundits, and fans alike.

Who: Cardale Jones, Ohio State Football Player
Offending tweet: @Cordale10: "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS"
Date: 10/5/2012
Consequence: Apologized after receiving a one-game suspension; deleted tweet

What's the old adage, when it rains it pours? Well, that certainly has been the case for the Ohio State football program in recent years. Cardale Jones only added fuel to the fire with this tweet. Honestly, you're a third-string quarterback, Cardale, you're supposed to be spending more time in class than on the field. Did we mention this is a FREE education?

Who: Cappie Pondexter, New York Liberty
Offending tweet: @cappa23: "What if God was tired of the way they treated their own people in there own country! Idk guys he makes no mistakes."
Date: 3/12/2011
Consequence: Apologized

After her initial tweet blaming the Japanese people for the earthquake that befell their country in March, Pondexter went on to tweet, "u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less." She then went with the "I didn't realize that my words could be interpreted in the manner which they were" non-apology apology. Right, so it's OUR fault!

Who: Will Hill, New York Giants
Offending tweet: @Trill_SG: "Its 636 in the morning and I here a fuckin knock at my door I'm like who the fuck is this come to find its my first fuck of the day sour"
Date: Sometime between 2008-2010
Consequence: Claimed account was hacked

Will Hill apparently went harder in the paint than anyone ever did in college. Just check out a brief history of the former Gator's Twitter exploits.

Who: Stevie Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Offending tweet: @StevieJohnson13: "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!!" AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."
Date: 11/28/2010
Consequence: Apologized

Stevie Johnson's known for his disrespectful celebrations, but he's not afraid to take a few shots at the Almighty. God, why do you hate Buffalo?

Who: Forrest Griffin, UFC
Offending tweet: @ForrestGriffin: "Condoms are for pussies! Ok technically penises. But you get my point. Wait I really don't have a point, sorry Please delete this"
Date: 10/7/2012
Consequence: Apologized

Agreed, Forest, you have absolutely no point. Always stay safe, kids.

Who: Devin Thomas, Detroit Lions
Offending tweet: Twitpic (see above)
Date: 10/8/2010
Consequence: Waived by team

After this picture of Thomas sleeping during a team meeting surfaced, the Skins put him on waivers. Hey! If you had three career touchdowns, you'd be exhausted too.

Who: Voula Papachristou, Greek Olympic Gymnast
Offending tweet: @papaxristoutj: "With so many Africans in Greece..At least the mosquitoes of West Nile .. will eat homemade food!"
Date: 7/22/2012
Consequence: Banned from 2012 Olympics; deleted tweet

Such an innocent looking young girl, we really want to believe something was lost in translation here (the original tweet was in Greek). The use of the exclamation point though is not helping Voula's case, in fact this has to be one of the most racist tweets in the history of Twitter. SMDH!

Who: Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers
Offending tweet: @candyDEEPTHROAT: "YES IT'S TRUE! LA #lakers NBA @Matt_Barnes22 and I FUCKED! (saying I'm lying n I'll TWITPIC everything n ya #)"
Date: December 2010
Consequence: Unknown

Let's see, you apparently meet a girl named Candy Deep Throat when she offers oral sex for $50 on Twitter. And then you're surprised when she "blows" up your relationship via tweet. C'mon fam. #ugottabesmarterthanthat

Who: Jamal Shuman, Elon University
Offending tweet: @ItzGucciDUH: "I no I will get in trouble cuz I no one of the ppl who retweet me r gunna tell my coach #smh this is the world we live in today tho"
Date: 10/29/2011
Consequence: Deleted account; suspended indefinitely

Twitter is a little like casual sex: If you don't strap up (i.e. protect your tweets), your chances of catching something bad increase exponentially with each follower on your timeline. Elon College running back Jamal Shuman found this out the hard way in the fall of 2011, when he took to Twitter to complain about his lack of playing time (and by complain, we mean co-signing the hashtag #SlapGuccisCoach).

As Shuman slowly came to the realization that his tweets were in fact public, he probably also began to understand that he wouldn't see the bench, much less the field, for the rest of the season.

Who: Stephanie Rice, Australian Olympic Swimmer
Offending tweet: @ItsStephRice: "Suck on that faggots!"
Date: 9/5/2010
Consequence: Lost lucrative sponsorship with Jaguar

Oh, here's a new one! A famous athlete says something stupid on Twitter, loses an endorsement deal and stages a tearful apology at a press conference. After Australia beat South Africa in a rugby match, Rice tweeted four words that cost her a lucrative sponsorship deal with British car maker Jaguar. But she'll always have those brief moments between when her team won and when she pissed away a bunch of money.

Who: Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona Cardinals
Offending tweet: @R_Mendenhall: "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..." "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."
Date: 5/2/2011
Consequence: Nationwide scrutiny; second tweet deleted

Let's call this a two-for-one special. This series of tweets by the former Steelers RB brings the word controversial to a whole new level, and makes us seriously examine Twitter as a social tool.