Chris Long trolls hockey fans on Twitter, and they take the bait

Here’s a tip before you get too mad about what someone says on Twitter: check for the fishhook.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long, who’s made a name for himself both with on-field exploits and off-field political and charitable endeavors, decided to tweak the ultra-serious hockey loyalists Monday night:

“I see some ppl saying ‘turn on the Stanley Cup.’ Guys take too many breaks in hockey. Shift changes constantly,” Long wrote. “For instance, last night,, Lebron played the entire game. I’d rather watch the grinders.”

Long’s not an idiot. He knows exactly how hard hockey is. He also knows how easy hockey fans are to troll, what with their persistent “hockey is tougher than basketball durrrr” mentality. This was nothing but chum in the water, and the fans bit, by the hundreds. And none bit harder than The Daily Caller, which posted a story headlined “NFL STAR HAS AN ABSURDLY STUPID TWEET ABOUT HOCKEY. HE COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG.”

Long acknowledged after practice Tuesday that it was a total joke, noting that hockey players are “the toughest,” but that not everyone will get the gag. “The problem is, I’m going to be like walking through Canada at some point and just get jumped,” Long said. “And I’m going to be laying on the ground and I’m going to be like, ‘It was a joke.'”

Anyway, the lesson is: before you think someone’s acting like an idiot online, make sure they’re not just holding up a mirror.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

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