Lolo Jones is no stranger to being outspoken on Twitter, but her latest controversy is likely to make anyone cring, as the track star and Olympian taunted former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand after he playfully challenged Jones to a race.
The Olympic hurdler reportedly went too far after LeGrand tweeted to her, “want to race me?” NESN.com reports that Jones responded by saying:
“Get checked for a concussion. Clearly, [you’ve] been hit in the head.”
Well, unluckily for Lolo, LeGrand was hit in the head while covering a kickoff for Rutgers in 2010, leaving him paralyzed. The former football player fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae on the play and will likely be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
After a follower called her out on the mistake, Lolo Jones apologized, writing:
“No, dnt know. sry dont know every football player. He challenged me 2 a race & I responded. Great I’m gonna get murdered for that tweet. When I had no clue who that dude was.Just responding to any athlete who challenges me to a race.”
Sporting News notes that Jones took heat from most of her followers for the decidedly insensitive tweet, but Eric LeGrand took it in stride, responding:
“@lolojones definitely did not take it personal, I understand exactly where you are coming from. All good over here.”
She responded to the former football player by saying, “Thx. Gerring trashed by tons of ppl glad ur not one of em.” LeGrand, a former defensive tackle, resumed his studies just a few months after he became paralyzed, taking classes via Skype.
LeGrand released a book last week and is on a career path to become a sports broadcaster.
Do you think that LoLo Jones was being insensitive when she goaded paralyzed former football player Eric LeGrand, or should we let it slide because she didn’t know who he was?