Mike Mitchell keeps finding himself on the receiving end of rebukes from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A week ago Mike Tomlin decried Mitchell’s actions after the safety jumped the victory formation in a loss to the Jets. This week Mitchell reportedly was told by the team to take a break from social media after he sent hateful Twitter messages to fans.
KDKA says that after the Steelers’ win over the Titans on Monday, Mitchell went on Twitter and sent responses to some fans via direct message. In one message, Mitchell told the fan to go kill himself.
This is the tweet the fan sent to Mitchell to prompt the response:
@937Giannotti @colin_dunlap @JColony13 what I tweeted last night in 3rd quarter pic.twitter.com/naY4EALI0D
— tom kat (@Tomkatf14) November 18, 2014
Mitchell told another fan he hoped that person died broke:
The fan originally dropped an F-bomb on Mitchell and then sent this sarcastic tweet:
At this point in the season defensive player of the year goes to @MikeMitchell34 hands down
— Luke Carson (@LukeCarson_) November 18, 2014
A third fan sent this tweet to Mitchell:
Really miss @Realrclark25 cause @MikeMitchell34 is trash
— mass (@ChrisMassey15) November 18, 2014
Mitchell sent the fan a DM back saying, “b–ch you trash!”
When asked about the tweets, Mitchell told KDKA, “If people tweet me, I tweet them back.”
KDKA says the Steelers have asked Mitchell to stay off social media indefinitely.
We understand that players are the target of nasty tweets from angry fans, but responding is never the answer. Athletes are supposed to be above that and are held to higher standards. The indefinite social media suspension for Mitchell is a good idea by Pittsburgh; it seems like the only way to save Mitchell from himself.
