The 10 Most Controversial Pro Athlete Twitterers

For most of us, posting messages to Twitter is about as banal an activity as you can get. But if you’re a professional athlete, with leagues, coaches and fans all constantly watching what you have to say, posting your thoughts to the trendy social networking site can get you in a whole lotta trouble. Here are 10 athletes whose Tweets have landed them in hot water.

Charlie Villanueva

Twitter ID: @CV31

During halftime of a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtic, Bucks power forward, Charlie Villanueva sent out a revealing tweet.

Incriminating Tweet: “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.”

Penalty: Mild verbal lashing: Alerted to the tweet, Bucks coach Scott Skiles said, “Anything that gives the impression that we’re not serious and focused at all times is not the correct way we want to go about our business,.”

Brian Ching

Twitter ID: @BrianChing

While watching his team, Houston Dynamo, play the Seattle Sounders on television, forward Brian Ching criticized the ref on Twitter for awarding a contested goal to Seattle.

Incriminating Tweet: “Ref in seattle just cheated the dynamo. What a joke. Not even close. Ref is a cheat.”

Penalty: Fined $500 by MLS for criticizing an officiate.

Chad Ochocinco

Twitter ID: @OGOchoCinco

After being told by the NFL that he was not allowed to use Twitter, Bengal’s wide receiver Chad Ochocinco responded to their decision during a press conference saying, “There’s a lot of things they don’t want me to do. I do it anyway. They know that. I don’t know why they even fussing about it. … When I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it, regardless of what they say.”

Incriminating Tweet: Any tweet sent out during a game.

Penalty: Nothing.

Kevin Love

Twitter ID: @Kevin_Love

Minnesota Timberwolves forward, Kevin Love broke the news that Kevin McHale would not be returning as Timberwolves head coach next season.

Incriminating Tweet: “Today is a sad day…Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach next season.”

Penalty: His post sparked a frenzy, with the media trying to get a confirmation, and the team’s owners and managers trying to stop the speculation. After realizing his mistake, Love posted this follow-up tweet: “P.S. I am not a breaking news guy…I had no idea no one knew..I’ll tell them I stayed at a holiday inn express last night. Always works….”

J.R. Smith

Twitter ID: @jr_smith1

Denver Nuggets guard, J.R. Smith’s Twitter feed caused controversy because many of his tweets included codes used by the Bloods street gang, like replacing the letter “C” for “K” in words (because, you know, Crips starts with a “C”).

Incriminating Tweet: “Vegas here I kome!” “Kant wait to get bak in the swing of things.” (And any other tweet that gets all gangy.)

Penalty: Despite posting on his account “watch what you say on here it gets me in a lot of trouble!” it’s still unclear what “trouble” actually means.

Antonio Cromartie

Twitter ID: @crimetime31 (private)

San Diego Chargers cornerback, Antonio Cromartie, speculated on Twitter about the “nasty food” being served to the team as the reason they haven’t made it to the Super Bowl.

Incriminating Tweet: “Man we have 2 have the most nasty food of any team. Damn can we upgrade 4 str8 years the same ish maybe that’s y we can’t we the SB we need.”

Penalty: Fined $2,500 by the NFL (and has since made his Twitter page private.)

Kawika Mitchell

Twitter ID: @Ka_Mitchell55

In response to Cromartie being fined for complaining about the food, Buffalo Bills linebacker, Kawika Mitchell called the NFL out for their overreaction.

Incriminating Tweet: “It’s bullsh!t that the league is scared of twitter. We have opinions. We sit back and listen to all the bullsh!t media, coaches and fans have to say, so if the chargers food sucks. It sucks. Please! B mad at real sh!t.”

Penalty: Nothing

Robert Henson

Twitter ID: @RedskinsLB58 (defunct)

After getting booed on the field, Redskins linebacker Robert Henson made fun of his “fans” on Twitter.

Incriminating Tweets: “All you fake half hearted Skins fans can..I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!”

Penalty: Deleted his Twitter page, no longer has Skins fans.

Mark Cuban

Twitter ID: @MCuban

Ok, this guy isn’t technically an athlete, but as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, he still qualifies. Cuban criticized the refs for not penalizing J.R. Smith for getting off the bench and in the face of Mavericks’ Antoine Wright near the end of a game with the Denver Nuggets.

Incriminating Tweet: “how do they not call a tech on JR Smith for coming off the bench to taunt our player on the ground ?” and “scary part of that play: Same crew chief from game in Denver where they missed call – last play of the game & 1st JRSmith/Wright issue.”

Penalty: Fined $25, 000 by the NBA for criticizing an officiate.

Larry Johnson

Twitter ID: @ToonIcon

In a torrent of bad decisions, Kansas City Chiefs’ Larry Johnson first made derogatory remarks about head coach Todd Haley in a series of tweets, after their 37-7 loss on Sunday. Then, he made homophobic remarks to reporters about one of his Twitter followers, who mentioned Johnson spitting on a woman at a club, calling his profile picture a “fag pic” and called him a “Christopher Street boy” (in reference to the Gay Pride parade on Christopher Street in New York City.)

Incriminating Tweets: “my father got more creditentials than most of these pro coaches. … google my father!!!!!!!” and “My father played for the coach from ‘rememeber the titans’. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn”

Penalty: Suspended from the team indefinitely.