A former NFL executive is under fire for an insensitive tweet after a plane crash killed more than 70 people yesterday, including most of Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer team.
Joe Browne, a retired senior executive and the longest-serving National Football League office employee, tweeted after the plane crash: “NFL club partnership so strong that if there were tragedy similar to Brazilian soccer crash other NFL clubs would restock affected team.”
The Patriots official Twitter account publicly replied to Browne, scolding him for his “poor choice of words” and saying his analysis was “disrespectful to all who lost lives.”
@Patriots @JBeonTheHill lol Joe deleted the tweet but at least we have a record. Make no mistake @NFL views players like cattle. pic.twitter.com/AF0K5OUGSs
— JP_Shanahan (@JP_Shanahan) November 30, 2016
Many NFL fans were also angered, saying Browne’s commentary suggested that athletes were interchangeable.
@JBeonTheHill They're human beings, not cans of soup on a store shelf. Families are affected. I almost cried hearing about it. Show respect.
— Daniel (@djddueces) November 29, 2016
@JBeonTheHill These guys aren't shampoo bottles. What the hell is wrong with you?
— 78-126 Malone (@720beauCBS) November 29, 2016
@JBeonTheHill "Restock"…honestly, this is how you see professional athletes? Like pond koi?
— Richard Whittall (@RWhittall) November 29, 2016
@JBeonTheHill "restock" the human beings who died? What is wrong with you?
— JHC (@JebusHChrist) November 29, 2016
@bostonrandy @Patriots @JBeonTheHill If there's no players, what's there to be a fan of?
— Jonathan Mote (@JonGunchi) November 29, 2016
Keith Olbermann offered a half-defense of Browne, noting that “restock” is an industry term.
Not to minimize the soccer tragedy but @JBeonTheHill is not the source of the sports term "restocking." This is the current rule in MLB: pic.twitter.com/cFeOR50pQm
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) November 29, 2016
Browne, meanwhile, deleted the tweet and backtracked.
Thought I was being informative today re terrible Brazil soccer tragedy but tweet was ill-timed and poorly worded. I've deleted it.
— Joe Browne (@JBeonTheHill) November 30, 2016
But he promptly misspelled “Colombia” in another tweet about the fatal crash, leading to more Twitter hate.
@JBeonTheHill it's COLOMBIA. Just stop it with twitter already. You've proved twice today that you just can't do it.
— JenDepo182 (@Jendepo182) November 30, 2016
@JBeonTheHill pic.twitter.com/hNbhXkEamR
— Limón Listos (@vtae44) November 30, 2016
@JBeonTheHill pic.twitter.com/oiCPfkVBNA
— Mustafa (@MoNastE) November 30, 2016
