NEW ORLEANS -- Stupidity sometimes intrudes on sports, and when it does it can be extreme and even dangerous, as was the case Sunday when Draymond Green was targeted for a death threat.
During Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and Pelicans, someone under the account for an Andrew Polk thought he was sharing his comedic talents with the civilized world when he tweeted this: “I hope Draymond Green gets shot in the face as soon as he leaves the arena, which looking at the city-wide stats, is like 37%.”
The tweet was later deleted, followed by an apology from the same account.
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Acknowledging after the game that he had heard about it, Green conveyed neither amusement nor fear but concern for those offering extreme opinions, whether it’s a serious threat or merely some misanthrope desperate for attention.
“If you feel the need to do something like that about basketball, then I feel bad for them,” Green said after a 118-92 Warriors victory. “It’s kind of sad that someone would take this that seriously. At the end of the day, what is it, a game? Making death threats and talking about life? I just pray that he gets the help that he needs, because I personally, Number 1, don’t worry about it. Number 2, I don’t care that much about it. I care a lot about basketball; I don’t care that much.
“Being that we’re in it, every day, and we’re literally (pouring) blood, sweat and tears into this every day, and it doesn’t matter that much to me, it shouldn’t matter that much to him either,” Green added. “So I just pray that he gets the help that he needs.”
Polk, whose Twitter bio indicates New Orleans and Los Angeles as the cities with which he identifies, said this in his apology: “I tweeted a very dumb thing meant to be an edgy joke. As a frustrated basketball fan, I go through ups and downs, and as a comedian, I don’t always express those in a digestible way. I wish no harm to anyone over simple game, and I apologize sincerely.
