NFL twins Maurkice and Mike Pouncey were photographed over the weekend at a nightclub wearing "Free Hernandez" hats, showing support for their former Florida teammate, Aaron Hernandez. One inevitable apology arrived Monday.
"I fully recognize the seriousness of the situation involving my former teammate, and I regret that my actions appear to make light of that serious situation," Maurkice Pouncey of the Pittsburgh Steelerswrote on Twitter.
The Steelers and Miami Dolphins reportedly were expected to talk to their respective players about the photo. Hernandez has been charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd in Massachusetts.
The story is yet another reminder of the new media landscape in which we live. Ten years ago, there wouldn't be camera phones to capture the Pounceys' hats. Twitter, which allowed for the story to spread nationally, didn't exist. And thus we wouldn't have needed Pouncey's apology or all those high horses for sports writers to comment from.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.