Tajh Boyd Says Gambling "Rumors" are False. Why Would the Media Even Ask Him About a Made-Up Story?
By Jason McIntyre
Tajh Boyd endured his worst night as a college QB Saturday, turning the ball over three times as Clemson was shellacked, 51-14, by Florida State. It was the kind of game that planted plenty of doubts about where he should be taken in the NFL draft.
And then, because the media is lazy and because the internet sucks, things actually got worse for Boyd.
Enter a fraud named “Incarcerated Bob.” You’ve never heard of him because he’s a joke who has already been exposed as a complete fraud (you must read this). Every six months, when someone mentions him to me on twitter, I block that person for being stupid. “Incarcerated Bob” attempted to buy credibility by purchasing twitter followers, and when that failed, he started throwing more rumors at the internet, and because gullible people will believe anything, flat-out lies became “well I read it on the internet.”
How did things get worse for Boyd? This guy “Incarcerated Bob” started a rumor that Boyd had significant gambling debts.
*Gambling Report* Sources are stating that Clemson QB Tajh Boyd has accumulated over $80,000 in gambling debts, mostly on NFL games.
— Vegas Gambling Steam (@Pregame_Steam) October 19, 2013
Nobody credible picked up the story, which is why it went nowhere for a few days. Then, somebody in the Clemson media asked Tigers coach Dabo Swinney about them. WHY? The reporter phrased his question this way, “there are a couple things floating around on the internet …”
Is that where we are in 2013? Reporters are now asking coaches about “things floating around” on the web from outlets that don’t have an ounce of credibility? There are dozens of “things floating around” on the web about every big-time athlete in sports. So?
What a joke. So now, a fictional story became part of a press conference. And that led to headlines, everywhere. And anytime you google some variation of Tajh Boyd, you’ll see “gambling” and “80k” in the headline. Said Boyd:
“I don’t really know where that came from. When I heard it, it was pretty shocking. That being built on top of the loss made it a rough little weekend.”
This makes me sad. We’ve got to be better, people.