SEC Fans, Get off Twitter

Hugh Freeze has been subject to outrageous twitter attacks over the weekend after his loss to Head Coach Justin Fuente and the Memphis Tigers.Oct 17, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

And it has come to this. Jesus help us.

I’m not going to use the fan’s name (because he is one of many), but I got on twitter today to find that a fan of Ole Miss took to twitter after the Rebels’ loss to Memphis to attack head coach Hugh Freeze. He even had the nerve to bring it to the athletic director Ross Bjork. That is not a joke.

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First and foremost, for the twitter ignorant, there is a difference between tweeting directly at someone and mentioning someone in your tweet. “Ben Richardson sucks at writing articles for Southbound and Down.” Ok, cool. You’ve stated your opinion, and made it public. That is your right, and please feel free to express yourself how you see fit.

“@benrich86 you suck at writing articles.” You have now made it your personal agenda to make sure that I know that you think my articles suck. Ok, I can deal. I put myself out there, and although some would deem your tactics unnecessary, this is the spot I’ve put myself in and I can deal with it. Then when you get behind your computer desk or have that cell phone in your hand and all of sudden you are the most important person in the world, you become a keyboard warrior:

“@benrich86 you suck at writing articles”

“@benrich86 I hope God breaks your fingers so you won’t be able to type any more words on Southbound and Down”

“@benrich86 Your writing makes me want to poke my eyes out.”

“@benrich86 You are pathetic at life and everything you do.”

Blocked. Enough is enough. It is literally harassment. This is just an example of how things work, but I think you get it.

So, this guy gets on twitter, and he berates Hugh Freeze like an angry 17 year old girl texting her boyfriend for not answering his phone. Over and over and over he calls out his coaching calls, his coaching of the defensive backs, and letting him know that he feels Coach Freeze should be able to do better with his elite recruiting. In every single tweet he makes it a point to hope that he sees it by including @CoachHughFreeze in every single one of his tweets.

It is like a 17 years old girl texting her boyfriend “Jeremy”:

“Jeremy, what are you doing?”

“Jeremy, it’s been like 15 minutes and you haven’t answered me!”

“Jeremy, you said you loved me, and if you loved me you wouldn’t make me wait 45 minutes for answer!!!!”

“JEEEEEREMY!!! IT HAS BEEN OVER AN HOUR!”

Hugh Freeze had enough and apparently he blocked the guy. I can’t say that I blame him. If I were him and I just got my butt kicked by Memphis, I’d be trying to eliminate distractions. I mean, a first round prospect in Paxton Lynch just tore my defense up, my offense just got repeatedly stopped by the 119th ranked defense in the nation (heard that stat on 92.9 today in Memphis, shout out Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal) and I have arguably suffered through my worst loss as head coach. I need support from my fans and words of encouragement. More than that, I just need my damn phone to stop blowing up with notifications from a twitter account notifying me that the same fans that loved me just a few weeks ago, now want my head on a platter.

Then the guy, like a 17 year old girl going to Jeremy’s best friend, reaches out to the athletic director of Ole Miss “I’m no one important. Just love my Rebs. I said nothing to warrant this from my HC @RossBjorkAD do you condone this?”

In 17 year old terms:

“Bryan, I don’t want to be that girlfriend, but is Scott with you? He won’t answer me! I know y’all are in the woods and you may not have service, but it has been almost 2 hours and I’m afraid something bad has happened!!!!”

Are you kidding me?!? You did nothing to warrant this?!? What world do you live in? The moment you made it your right to specifically mention him with the @ symbol, you invoked his right to block you. How many angry tweets did you send him, bro? Now you want to keep following him so you can see what he has to say?!? I’m laughing at you! Like a 17 year old, you have no idea how this relationship works. Jeremy is worried about other things! Jeremy has more important things to worry about and you’ve worn out your welcome. At the very least, Jeremy needs time for you to decompress and realize how bad you’ve embarrassed yourself.

Twitter has become a great tool for people to have contact with their favorite teams, players and coaches like never before. Unfortunately, way too many people misuse this source of communication and perceive it to be their American right to do and say as they please. They think out of the millions of people on twitter, they should be noticed and acknowledged. The selfish world that we live in has groomed an array of people to hide behind keyboards and cell phones to say whatever hurtful, critical and demoralizing things they want without repercussions.

You are complaining that your defensive backs aren’t being coached well enough. You complain that your head coach isn’t doing a good job with the talent he has recruited. You attack the head coach of your favorite team, the player of your favorite team, and even the family of these coaches and teams. And to top it all off, you are not satisfied until you are responded to in a manner that suits you. Instead of allowing your player to practice, your coach to study film or their family members to support their loved ones, you see it as your twitter right to invoke the same emotion in them that you feel.

Let me tell you something twitter user. You are nobody. People that are somebody and can make

things happen, don’t take to twitter (Unless your Jim Irsay, but he gets pulled over with tons of pills

Oct 10, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze during the game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi Rebels beats New Mexico State Aggies 52-3. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

and cash in his car, so……yeah). They meet in a room and they communicate with one another and move millions of dollars. You are a distraction and you are incapable of comprehending the pressures and responsibilities that go along with coaching your favorite team. Your crying and demanding of attention by attacking that coach/player directly takes away from time that could be put in the film room, on the practice field or on the recruiting trail. You make that coach/person hate everything that is social media and then you don’t understand why they block you.

Even more than all that, you let everyone know that you are an absolute coward. I bet the entire house that you wouldn’t say that to your coach’s face. I know for a fact that you wouldn’t say the things that you do to that player’s face, because they would smash you. You embarrass yourself by not only being unable to control your emotions, but you let the whole world know you are in desperate need of attention for self affirmation. You’re an embarrassment to your entire fan base, your friends and your family. Get your life together. In fact, if you can’t control your emotions: have your mom change your twitter password on Saturday and change it back for you on Sunday.

With everything wrong in this country, I swear twitter may be found at the base of it all.

And please, I know it is not SEC, but twitter people, LEAVE THE KID FROM MICHIGAN ALONE!!

Jesus. Please. Help us.

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