When a longtime Chiefs fan named Travis Wright got frustrated by Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, he took to Twitter to declare that he couldn’t be much of a fan anymore, accusing owner Clark Hunt of being cheap and adding an obscenity.
When the Chiefs employee who handles Twitter for the team saw that, he took umbrage and sent a private direct message to Wright, telling him to “get a clue.” That wasn’t very smart, because Wright posted the message on Reddit, where hundreds of people ripped the Chiefs for their poor fan relations.
Eventually, the employee who runs the Chiefs’ Twitter (whose name hasn’t been released publicly) tweeted this apology:
I apologize to the fans for my response to a tweet sent to me earlier. No excuse for my actions. I am truly sorry and it won't happen again.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 11, 2012
Wright told KSHB in Kansas City that the Chiefs didn’t apologize to him personally, and they’ve blocked him from seeing their Twitter messages.
“The funny thing about [the apology] is that I personally didn’t see it,” Wright said. “They didn’t apologize to me, they apologized to everyone else because of the backlash.”
The incident is reminiscent of the time in 2008 when then-Browns General Manager Phil Savage responded to a critical e-mail from a fan by e-mailing him back and saying, “Go root for Buffalo-f#@* you-.” Team employees at all levels would be wise to learn that if a fan rips you online, you’re best off ignoring it.