End well, this will not....

[Cheek]

Bottom line is whether you guys think it's offensive or not, the person who the tweet is directed at did think it was offensive. For that reason he needs to take it down and apologize because the statement he made was not relevant to the picture. 

[BelgianPantherFan]

Dude does look like Star who just got a haircut.

[Moose Hoover]

I wonder what Tolbert's mom thinks...

[CarolinaSunday]

I really don't see how the way he said "I didn't know they made jerseys in DT size" could be interpreted as a compliment or even a neutral statement. It looks like he was trying to find a clever way of saying "look at this fat guy!" Calling someone fat or overweight is nearly always meant as a subtle (or not-subtle) dig against that person.  Our society has attached an underlying meaning of "stupid and lazy" to "fat." I really can't think of a single instance where calling someone fat or implying someone is fat in front of a group of people, especially on a national stage, was meant to be anything other than a joke at the fat person's expense.  

This guy didn't do anything to deserve being insulted. He's a Panthers fan who innocently went to a game and posed for a picture for a journalist.  That journalist then got on one of the biggest sports websites, posted the picture and basically said, "Haw haw haw! Look at this fat guy and his huge shirt!" 

I'm not saying he should lose his job, but an apology is warranted. That's just human decency. 

[L-TownCat]

I really don't see how the way he said "I didn't know they made jerseys in DT size" could be interpreted as a compliment or even a neutral statement. It looks like he was trying to find a clever way of saying "look at this fat guy!" Calling someone fat or overweight is nearly always meant as a subtle (or not-subtle) dig against that person.  Our society has attached an underlying meaning of "stupid and lazy" to "fat." I really can't think of a single instance where calling someone fat or implying someone is fat in front of a group of people, especially on a national stage, was meant to be anything other than a joke at the fat person's expense.  

This guy didn't do anything to deserve being insulted. He's a Panthers fan who innocently went to a game and posed for a picture for a journalist.  That journalist then got on one of the biggest sports websites, posted the picture and basically said, "Haw haw haw! Look at this fat guy and his huge shirt!" 

I'm not saying he should lose his job, but an apology is warranted. That's just human decency. 

this

if you can't understand it after reading this then youre just a dbag.

[Jeremy Igo]

this

if you can't understand it after reading this then youre just a dbag.

Plenty in this thread. 

[TheRed]

I think regardless of how you may feel about the joke (an awful one at that) itself, when presenting fans who pay good money to attend a sporting event on the other side of the country on behalf of a major sports network, it's generally not common practice anywhere to also insult those individuals.

Of course the usual hooligans will chime in with the "what's the big deal!" shenanigans, but those are the same people shitposting in the tinderbox on a regular basis, so that's expected.

[the butch]

People saying that we're being too PC are missing the point.  As had been said repeatedly, this is a professional acting and reporting in a professional capacity.  People are expected to act with appropriate decorum when on the job.  David Newton leaped outside the bounds of professionalism when he made that comment.

What passes for message board fodder (where everyone is anonymous, too), does not quite meet the standard of professional journalism for an international television network.

[NJPanthers12]

I've said it a million times. Take the every single newspaper and beat writer from every single team of the 4 major sports and Joe Person and Johnathan Jones are by far the worst. They are brutal when it comes to covering this team, and especially in the offseason. With that said, david Newton makes them look competent. That's hard to do and tells you everything you need to know about Newton.

this joke was not funny and it was disrespectful.

[Moose Hoover]

Uh, Jones is pretty decent.

[rayzor]

to those of you saying he ane everyone else who is offended by this is too sensitive, you don't get to tell people what they should or shouldn't be offended by. whether you think this is a big deal or not doesn't matter because to the person this was aimed at it did matter and that's the reality of the situattion. the joke was in poor taste and at the expense of a guy who is obviously self conscious about his weight and was trying to have a good time in spite of that fact. for just  moment i'm sure the guy felt like he was just another loyal panther fan and not just some fat guy in a kuechly jersey, but then he sees newton broadcast this to thousands pointing to him as just a fat guy wearing a #59 jersey. it's just not cool to do stuff like that and it shows nothing but a weak mind and total lack of humor on behalf of newton who tried to be cool and went for the low hanging fruit. all it did, though, was make him look like an ass, just like anyone else who makes fun of people for the way they look.

have i done that myself? absolutely. i admit to being a hypocrite in this regard and it bothers me that i have spught put a quick laugh at the expense of another person and risked hurting thekr feelings. i know how it makes me feel when it's done to me and i do my best to be awate of that and use a filter on my mouth. in those moments i catch myself or get caught embarrassing someone, i do my best to go seek that person out and apologize despite how uncomfortable it is for me. 

i think newton is a good writer, but a horrible beat reporter for the panthers because he's clueless and should have stuck with nascar. that's a non-issue here, though. he made a mistake and embarrassed someone who didn't deserve it and he did it on mass media. he can't undo the damage done, but he can own up to his mistake and apologize and gain some level of respect back, showing respect to the fan he disrespected. if newton sweeps it under the rug and acts like nothing happened, it shows a lack of character.

 

he shouldn't be fired for this, but he does need to be disciplined by his employer for doing this because it casts a negative light on not only him and the guy he offended, but also newton's employer.

 

[PanthersBigD]

It was a dumb thing to say. People who make their living in part by their social media presence should strongly consider everything they say before they press Enter. However, people saying he should be fired over this are ridiculous. He made an insensitive joke and he should apologize for it. 

[mav1234]

this dude took a picture of a couple, and insulted them over social media, then plastered it on the largest sports site on the internet... and he works for them. fug that dude.

i don't give a poo if some of you think the world is "too pc", you don't poo on people that let you take their picture like that, it's common courtesy. the dude is supposed to be a fuging professional.

[AceBoogie]

Should be suspended at the very least. Rob Parker was baited into calling RG3 a cornball brother and got fired.