After helping the LA Rams to a home Super Bowl, left tackle Andrew Whitworth took aim at a former NFL star who trolled his wife in the lead up to the NFC Championship game.
One of the NFL’s oldest active players, Whitworth, 40, had some choice words for ex-San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley over a tweet he shared in the lead up to the game, quoting Whitworth’s wife, who asked Rams fans on Twitter not to sell their tickets to 49ers supporters for the game.
READ MORE: Nadal’s ‘superhuman’ moment after five-hour epic
READ MORE: Nadal’s sharp response to claiming GOAT status
READ MORE: Chilling reason Olympic great feared being killed
The last time both teams played in the final game of the regular season, 49ers fans outnumbered Rams spectators on their own home ground, on the way to scoring a 27-24 overtime victory, which secured their passage into the playoffs.
“If you @RamsNFL fans want to sell your tickets – I’ll buy them. Just DO NOT sell them to the other team PLEASE!” she tweeted in the days before the game.
Staley changed the wording of the tweet, writing:
“If you @RamsNFL fans want to sell your tickets – I’ll buy them. Just DO NOT sell them to your own team PLEASE!”
That didn’t go down well with Whitworth, who took to Instagram to express his disappointment over Staley’s actions after his team qualified for Super Bowl XVI.
“My guys who have played the @nfl game. Been in the trenches. Could you imagine trying to troll another player’s wife,” Whitworth wrote. “When you not even a player anymore? Having 49ers fans troll her all week. Sending her nasty crap. (Used) to respect this guy.
“This ain’t it! Could you imagine being an elite player to only become a fan who try’s to troll women or significant others of players. Life comes as at you fast! I’m who I am because this would never be me. I respect the game. The men who come after me and before me. Would never disrespect regardless of my cheerleader feelings. My children even know better than this. But that’s why I’m me. And he’s him!”
Whitworth promised to to address the issue with Staley at a “later date”.
“Embarrassing for our game,” he continued. “49ers fans can say anything they want! Y’all can buy all the tickets you want to the Super Bowl! I would hope a legend of the game would leave a player’s wife out of it. Attack the woman tough guy! I’ll address that at a later date!”
Whitworth’s wife tweeted at Staley as well, writing: “Omg it’s really an honor. Joe. Thanks for the retweet”.
In another tweet, she wrote, “Hey @RamsNFL fans…. @jstaley74 is a big old tough guy who trolls other NFL players’ wives. It worked out well for him today.”
Whitworth later explained why he deleted the post.
“I said my side of it. And now I’m going to delete it. I don’t [want] that crap on my feed anymore. I just hold him in regard and don’t approbate igniting trolling without a respectful shout to me. That was it. It’s over now,” Whitworth wrote, adding, “Never disrespect the game. NFL is a brotherhood in my eyes.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!