Kentucky football star Randall Cobb apologizes for tweets critical of UK fans

Kentucky football star Randall Cobb apologizes for tweets critical of UK fans

LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky wide receiver Randall Cobb apologized on Tuesday for a series of posts to his Twitter page on Sunday that criticized UK football fans.

Cobb was critical of some Wildcat fans for their behavior during last Saturday’s 31-28 win against then-No. 10 South Carolina, a game in which the Cats trailed 28-10 in the first half.

“I was wrong for the fact that I took a percentage — a small percentage — of our fan base and lumped them all as one and made it all whole,” Cobb said. “That’s not how our fans are.”

Cobb said that “99.9 percent of our fans are great fans, and they know that.”

“I just took a small chunk and made it something big, and I can’t do that,” Cobb said. “I made a mistake. I’m a man, I admit my mistake, and I just want to come out and let everybody know I’m sorry. I hope they can forgive me.”

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Cobb wrote: “To all the fans: loved seein’ Yall come late, love hearing Yall tell us we suck during the game, love that we have to play against our own fans too! Love that we can’t pack the house when we play the #10 team in the nation… It means that much more to me. I love my team!”

Cobb deleted those messages shortly afterward and replaced them with one thanking loyal fans for their longtime support.

On Monday, Cobb said it took “two or three minutes” to determine he’d made a mistake, and he did so without prodding from reporters or coaches.

“It was all my decision to take it down,” Cobb said. “I knew I was wrong in the beginning. Right after I sent it, I had to take it back. I know that I was out of character, I really was.”

The intent of the tweets, Cobb said, was to stress to fans his disappointment with comments he heard from the crowd during Saturday’s game.

“What I wanted to get out of it is to let others realize how we can tell what’s going on (in the stands),” Cobb said. “We know what’s going on. We can hear you. Regardless of whether we respond or not, we can hear you. We know what’s being said, and it hurts sometimes. It really does.”

Cobb is in a communications class this semester, and he said he learned a lesson in the art of communicating from the backlash that followed his outburst.

“We’ve been talking about this all semester, how powerful words are and how much meaning words have,” Cobb said. “I can’t take back my words. I can’t take back what I said. All I can ask for is forgiveness.”

UK players still will be allowed to use Twitter, coach Joker Phillips said following Tuesday’s practice. Phillips had considered banning players from using the site.


http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101019/SPORTS03/310190050/1029/rss0703