Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

ESPN Columnist's 'Accidental' Tweet Broke Randy Moss News Early

by Caleb Johnson on October 7, 2010 at 08:00 AM

More rumors fly around Twitter than at a high-school cafeteria. But sometimes, the social-networking site actually does break real news -- and it has once again. According to Business Insider, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons, a.k.a. "The Sports Guy," broke news yesterday about the trade of NFL wide receiver Randy Moss from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings by sending what he claims was an accidental tweet while trying to direct message a friend. The Moss trade was completed Wednesday, but on Tuesday, Simmons tweeted "moss vikings." About 30 minutes later, he deleted the cryptic tweet and wrote another reading, "Sorry that last tweet was supposed to be a DM. Rumors swirling about a Pats-Minny trade for Moss." But it was too little, too late, as sportswriters and fans scrambled to confirm this rumor.

Simmon's mishap wouldn't be news if the Moss trade never happened. Since the trade did occur, it left many wondering if Simmons claimed he made a mistake just so that he could break the news without having to take the heat if he wound up being wrong. In the end, we don't care so much about Simmons' intentions. Because Twitter users took this story and did what they do best -- created a hilarious hashtag dubbed #SportsGuysDMs.

Tags: ESPN, football, microblogging, minnesotavikings, NFL, randy moss, RandyMoss, SocialNetworking, sports, top, twitter

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular