Twitter Denies Verified Status For Alan Page, NFL MVP And MN Supreme Court Justice
UPDATE: Alan Page's account has since been verified.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Twitter has determined Alan Page, the Hall of Fame Vikings defensive end who was named NFL MVP in 1971, broke barriers as Minnesota's first African American Supreme Court justice and was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2018, does not meet the "criteria for notability" to earn verified status.
That's according to a tweet from Page's blue checkmark-less account.
"Not notable!" the 76-year-old Page tweeted. "Hmmm."
On Friday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tweeted at Twitter staff, saying that it could vouch for former Vikings player and offering to serve as a reference.
The coveted blue checkmark would be the latest accolade in Page's storied and extraordinary life.
After a 15-year NFL career in which he totaled 148.5 sacks, unofficially good enough for eighth all-time, Page earned his law degree, later serving on Minnesota's highest court for 22 years. He was the first African American to serve as a justice in the state.
He also founded the Page Education Foundation with his late wife Diane, and south Minneapolis' Justice Page Middle School is named for him.
Page is one of only two defensive players to win the NFL's MVP award, and he stacked two Defensive Player of the Year awards on top of that. In addition to being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he's been inducted into the Vikings' Ring of Honor and his No. 88 jersey has been retired.
