Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal receives threats after tweeting in support of Cardinals

Drew Silva

Oct 14, 2012, 9:45 AM EDT

53 Comments

Getty Images

Bradley Beal, the No. 3 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, was born in St. Louis, grew up there, and became the best high school basketball player in the city’s recent history at Chaminade College Prep.

Like most St. Louisans, his love for the Cardinals runs deep. Even while at the University of Florida for his one-and-done freshman campaign, Beal could often be spotted wearing a red fitted Cardinals hat.

But he now lives and works in Washington, D.C. and will head up a promising young Wizards backcourt this season alongside former University of Kentucky star John Wall. You can probably guess where this story is headed…

Beal sent out a congratulatory tweet — “STL turnupppp !!!” — after the Cardinals pulled off their stunning ninth-inning comeback Friday in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Nationals. It swiftly brought on negative reaction from sports fans in and around the nation’s capital, including threats and requests that he be traded.

“People forget I’m from St. Louis!” Beal, who turned 19 years old on draft night, tried to explain in a follow-up tweet. “It was a great comeback for my home team, am I wrong for cheering them on?”

Beal spoke with Michael Lee of the Washington Post on Saturday about the reaction:

“I was hearing threats and everything, like, ‘Watch your back,’” Beal said. “People were like, ‘I’m not going to cheer for you.’ I was like, whatever. It was probably moreso the timing, but at the same time, it’s my city. It’s not going to affect the way I play. I got to do something to redeem myself, I guess. … Every time I stopped watching the game, they started [coming back]. They did it last year, and they came back and won. That’s how it is.”

Skip to Comments (53)

Email

« Newer Jayson Nix will take over as the Yankees’ shortstop

Older » Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal receives threats after tweeting in support of Cardinals

More HardballTalk

Back to Homepage

53 Comments (Feed for Comments)

chill1184 - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:01 AM

Not surprised, not one bit

Log in to Reply
- seeyoulater11 - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:20 AM
  
  [COMMENT DELTED, COMMENTER BANNED]
  
  Log in to Reply
  - chill1184 - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:26 AM
    
    Hey I didn’t know David Duke posted on HBT
  - dondada10 - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:36 AM
    
    Clearly, your father is/was an ignoramous and your mother is/was a whore for marrying such an moron.
  - Old Gator - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:40 AM
    
    David Duke is 62 years old. This guy can’t be much past twelve.
  - brewcrewfan54 - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:52 PM
    
    Ha! I think its us who will now not be seeing you later.
- natstowngreg - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:01 PM
  
  Agreed. Absolutely disgraceful.
  
  As elsewhere in America, the hatred and bigotry exists in the Washington area. It is expressed mainly through politics and football. Being expressed through baseball is new, because baseball now matters more to more people. As much good has come from the Washington Nationals’ 2012 season for this area, that is the bad.
  
  Log in to Reply
- hotkarlsandwich - Oct 14, 2012 at 3:47 PM
  
  Blake Ahearn http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/24/blake-ahearn-broke-the-nbas-consecutive-free-throw-record/
  
  Log in to Reply
husky2score - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:04 AM

All 12 wizards fans placed in death threats.

Log in to Reply
- dcfan4life - Oct 14, 2012 at 9:39 PM
  
  Can you name another Wizard after Beals and Wall? i cant haha.
  
  Log in to Reply
  - foreverchipper10 - Oct 15, 2012 at 1:37 PM
    
    Oh man I really had to think about this. Did Nene get traded there? Maybe him. That’s my guess.
isujames - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:35 AM

To say that he has become or is the best b ball player in our cities history is definitely going overboard, he’s a good player though.

Log in to Reply
- Drew Silva - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:53 AM
  
  Tell me who ranks above him …
  
  Log in to Reply
  - 78mu - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:15 AM
    
    Jo Jo White
  - 78mu - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:25 AM
    
    Steve Stipanovich
  - 78mu - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:27 AM
    
    Larry Hughes
  - Drew Silva - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:44 AM
    
    OK, I changed the wording a bit. I’d rank Beal comfortably over Hughes, but I sadly wasn’t aware of Jo Jo White.
    
    [Sticks to baseball].
  - daveloewe - Oct 14, 2012 at 9:12 PM
    
    Ed Macauley. Heck, he may not even be the best recent player from Chaminade. That may be David Lee.
willclarkgameface - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:44 AM

That’s some mad “Natitude” right there anonymous cyber bullies.

It’s amazing some of the ridiculous bull shit that can be found in culture based on what sports franchise for which you choose to show allegiance.

It’s sports. SPORTS. ENTERTAINMENT. STUFF WE WASTE HOURS OF TIME WATCHING AND GET ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OUT OF EXCEPT A FAT ASS.

Let’s grow up.

Log in to Reply
- Old Gator - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:14 AM
  
  I dunno. It seems to have fattened up your bile gland pretty well too.
  
  Log in to Reply
kvanhorn87 - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:49 AM

Horrible Natitude!!!!!! Welcome to the big boys club, losers. Threatening your own, arrogance throughout, being targeted by HBT, eternally second guesses decision and a crushing collapse.

Log in to Reply
freudnumb - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:54 AM

Imagine Fab Melo of the Celtics wearing a Yankees hat … Hmmm, but again, this is Nationals

Log in to Reply
willclarkgameface - Oct 14, 2012 at 10:59 AM

I want to believe deep down that the cyber bully was the rough tumbler Mike Rizzo. He is from the streets of Chicago after all.

Log in to Reply
mattcerrone - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:02 AM

Exhibit A of why athletes should shun Twitter.

Log in to Reply
- Old Gator - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:18 AM
  
  Exhibit A for why everyone should shun Twitter.
  
  Then again, morons waited through millions of years of humanoid evolution for a place where they could all go and be together and communicate in incoherent thought fragments. Would it be fair to deprive them of it now?
  
  Log in to Reply
  - stex52 - Oct 14, 2012 at 3:08 PM
    
    What he said ^
- deadeyedesign23 - Oct 14, 2012 at 5:07 PM
  
  Athletes shouldn’t use twitter because assholes also use it? That’s pretty unreasonable.
  
  Log in to Reply
hellmaca - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:41 AM

Boo! Negative Internet points for mentioning Chaminerd.

Log in to Reply
kevinleaptrot - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:45 AM

NBA players have got to be the dumbest of all professional athletes. And while people may forget that you are from St. Louis Mr. Beal, apparently you forgot that you represent Washington now, dumb ass.

Log in to Reply
tomtravis76 - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:48 AM

Here is why you can’t get mad at Beal for supportiing his hometown team, the Boston fans let Tom Brady get away with supporting the Yankees. If that fan base can let Brady get away with supporting the mosted hated rival in their towns sports history then every other fan base should shut it when a young man on one of their teams supports a different citys sports team.

Log in to Reply
- natstowngreg - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:24 PM
  
  True. Though winning has a great deal to do with it. If the Patriots had lost a lot, the haters would have looked for any excuse to hate. Including Brady rooting for the Yankees.
  
  Log in to Reply
  - Old Gator - Oct 14, 2012 at 2:02 PM
    
    True. Best let a wound heal before pouring salt on it.
isujames - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:53 AM

Beal has yet to play one NBA game yet he is a better player than Larry Hughes, Darius Miles ESTL, Anthony Bonner,Jo Jo White, stop kidding yourself fella.

Log in to Reply
- Drew Silva - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:55 AM
  
  I wrote “best high school basketball player.”
  
  Log in to Reply
  - 78mu - Oct 14, 2012 at 1:22 PM
    
    Beal was great but he’s right that those guys were right up there with him if we are only talking about their HS careers. Add in David Lee or Johhny Parker from Central back in the ’70s or some of the Vashon players during their peak years. You can go back to Ed McCauley who had a pretty good NBA career.
    
    Bill Bradley was easily better than all but that would be stretching St. Louis to include Crystal City.
kvanhorn87 - Oct 14, 2012 at 11:54 AM

While I think it is in bad taste to openly root against the current city, no excuse for these new found (as in last 2-3 weeks) “fans”. Wonder what they will do after supporting the team for a month? Watch out LA, the former murder capital of US is coming for your title of worst sports fans.

Log in to Reply
- chill1184 - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:17 PM
  
  Sending someone death threats still ranks under putting a man in a coma by a large margin.
  
  Log in to Reply
jolink653 - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:26 PM

The Nationals have been relevant for only one year after a decade of garbage and people are already sending out threats? Well at least they’ll have the Wizards season to look forward too…

Log in to Reply
- voteforno6 - Oct 14, 2012 at 8:44 PM
  
  You mean, “to look forward to”, right?
  
  Log in to Reply
brewcrewfan54 - Oct 14, 2012 at 12:56 PM

Once again twitter rears its ugly head.

Log in to Reply
stex52 - Oct 14, 2012 at 3:13 PM

Let’s be fair and point out that 50,000 good fans can be out there and three or four nitwits with Twitter accounts can get all the attention. I’m going to assume that our Nats contributors on this site are much closer to the norm.

Log in to Reply

Leave Comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

« Newer Jayson Nix will take over as the Yankees’ shortstop

Older » Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal receives threats after tweeting in support of Cardinals

More HardballTalk

Back to Homepage

More HardballTalk

Latest Posts

Top Posts

Subscribe