Hearing about Hanlon’s missteps is reminiscent of the time Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage sent a profane email response to a fan while aboard the team bus after a win in Buffalo. It helped convince owner Randy Lerner that Savage should be employed elsewhere.
It’s not clear if Hanlon’s job is in jeopardy, but it’s always amusing when front-office personnel call attention to themselves in nontraditional ways. Sometimes it happens behind the scenes, such as when the Browns’ media relations chief handed reporters a letter a few years back saying they should be satisfied with the vague answers given by head coach Butch Davis because that’s all they deserved. To drive the point home, the letter cited research showing Americans basically have about as much regard for journalists as for lawyers and cockroaches. That went over well.
Not quite sure where calling a fan a “knucklehead” ranks in the pantheon of front-office faux pas, but it just proves athletes aren’t the only ones at whose fingertips social media can be dangerous.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com
About the Author