Bucs launch probe after GM threatened with murder-scene tweet
Some fans take the NFL draft a bit too seriously — just ask the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office.
Team security officials are investigating a threatening tweet directed at general manager Jason Licht after the Bucs drafted North Carolina cornerback M.J. Stewart on Friday with the 53rd-overall pick, in the second round, prompting a fan in Texas to chime in on Twitter with a GIF of a gruesome murder scene from the 1990 film “King of New York,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“When I see Jason Licht the next time I roll through Tampa,” Mike Rogers, 38, of Houston, posted after the Bucs’ pick, complete with a bloody depiction of a drug lord killing a New York City police detective.
The tweet, which has since been removed, was merely a poor reaction to Tampa Bay’s picks and was not intended to be a threat, Rogers told the newspaper.
“Yes, that was a total exaggeration,” Rogers said Sunday. “Just caught up in the moment. It was just a tasteless tweet. I’m not a psychopath.”
Rogers, who was raised in Naples and has been a Florida State Seminoles fan since the 1980s, said he also was disappointed by Tampa Bay’s moves on Thursday, when the team traded down from No. 7 overall to No. 12 to pick University of Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea.
As a Seminole fan, Rogers wanted Tampa Bay to instead grab Florida State safety Derwin James, who was still on the board when the Bucs went with Vea.
“I wanted [Quenton] Nelson really bad, but then he went off right before us,” Rogers said of the Notre Dame guard taken by the Colts at No. 6 overall. “Then we traded back. James was still there and a huge position of need. I mean we have [Chris] Conte back, and he’s a huge liability in my opinion. I also think James not working out for teams hurt his stock, but I don’t blame him. They have tape and combine to go off of.”
Licht, who worked his fifth NFL draft last week as Tampa Bay’s general manager, told the newspaper he was aware of the tweet, but had no comment.
Rogers, meanwhile, had a different take altogether on Monday, suggesting his hostile comments weren’t his own.
A team official confirmed early Monday to The Post that the Bucs were “aware” of Rogers’ tweet and had launched an investigation into the matter. He declined further comment.
Source: Read Full Article