Steve Covino was in the crosshairs of sports Twitter earlier this week. A comment he made about the Mets’ Jeff McNeil taking paternity leave was aggregated and he said that led to some really negative interactions with people that were reacting to what they read, not what he said.
“Let me make it very clear. I never once, not never, ever, did I say he shouldn’t be there for the birth of his baby,” Covino said Thursday on FOX Sports Radio. “That’s common sense. Of course he should be. It’s a beautiful moment. I was there for the birth of my baby. Everyone should be.
“I said, as a fan, I can see how fans are upset. As a selfish fan, you don’t care if a guy’s foot’s falling off. You want to see him play because you’re a fan.”
He also made it clear that despite the harassment he may have received, his opinion isn’t changing.
“I want everybody to know, I double down and stand my ground. I don’t take back anything I said.”
Covino’s partner, Rich Davis, said the incident didn’t teach anyone anything new. If anything, it solidified an opinion most in the sports media have held for a while.
“Yesterday was a great reminder. Sports Twitter is the most brutal place.”
He noted that it isn’t just he and Covino that experience this. He pointed out example from a number of FOX Sports personalities that give an opinion, have a clip posted to Twitter and then have to deal with abuse just because a fan doesn’t like their take.
“Sports trolls are the bottom of the chum bucket,” Covino said. “I tweeted this out yesterday and I mean it. People who cry and complain on Twitter because you don’t agree with them, are the lowest form of weenie possible.”
What he took the most exception with in this particular instance is the way he was being criticized. Covino said that a number of people started their comment with how important family is before hurling an insult at him or the way they believe he treats his family.
He used the word “hypocrite” several times, but probably got his message across more effectively by saying “You can’t claim to be a righteous dude and then talk about my mama on Twitter, and that’s what sports trolls do.”
