Tweet Over Torrey Smith's Brother Turns Baltimore Woman Into Public Enemy #1
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore woman is under attack after taking the Ravens/Patriots rivalry one Tweet too far.
Jessica Kartalija explains a message aimed at Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith has infuriated football fans on both sides.
Hours after learning of his brother Tevin's death, Torrey Smith played a starring role in the Ravens' come from behind victory over the Patriots. Moments later, Pats fan Katie Moody took to the Internet, Tweeting, "Hey, Smith, how about you call your bro and tell him all about your win--- Ohhhh. Wait. #TooSoon?"
Ray Rice responded: "SMH...You are terrible. I hope you know the word karma."
Moody also Tweeted "The Pats may have lost but at least none of them lost a family member. I'd say that's a win." Another fan replied, "One sick human."
"People do things online that they would never, ever do face-to-face," said Dr. Elliott King.
King, a professor of digital culture at Loyola University, spoke with WJZ via Skype.
"People still have this idea that they can just send things out into the ether and nobody pays attention but people pay attention," King said.
Moody, who works at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, isn't talking but the university says, "Our deepest sympathies are with Torrey Smith and his family. The social media comment that made light of the Smith family's loss represented the thoughts of one individual. It does not in any way represent the Johns Hopkins community."
When asked if Moody would face any disciplinary actions for that Tweet she sent, Johns Hopkins University said, "No comment."
The Ravens Tweeted Tuesday that Torrey Smith has joined the team for practice but will not be commenting on this or any other matters.
Katie Moody has changed her Twitter account to private and has removed other networking profiles from the Internet. She has tweeted that she was receiving death threats and that people have been posting her home address online.
She also released this statement Wednesday morning:
"I profoundly regret my thoughtless, tasteless, and completely inappropriate comment, and I deeply lament the pain that it has caused. I would like to apologize to Torrey Smith, his family, friends, and everyone who was distressed by what I said. I should have been offering sympathy and compassion for such a terrible and heart-breaking loss. I set high standards for myself as a person and as a fan, and I fell short of these standards. This was a horrible lapse in judgment that I will always regret. I am truly sorry."
