Sports Twitter on Tuesday was buzzing in a way it hasn’t in a while, with reports that former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reunite with Tom Brady.
And while most are crediting NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter for the breaking news, both league insiders acknowledged it was a dog’s Twitter account that had the scoop first.
Well, kind of.
Back on April 8, the account @LeroyInsider posted about the rumored return of Gronkowski to link back up with Tom Brady. The tweet also mentioned the tight end was training in Florida in addition to partaking in WWE events.
Hearing a wild rumor that has serious legs. Rob Gronkowski is strongly considering returning to the NFL to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with his old teammate Tom Brady. Has been training in Florida in addition to Wrestlemania. Please credit Leroy woof woof
— Ghost Of Leroy (@LeroyInsider) April 8, 2020
After Schefter and Rapoport broke that the deal was being finalized, both gave credit to the account, posing as a news breaking English mastiff named Leroy.
Great scoop, Leroy. On your game, as usual. https://t.co/PYa9tPOHqQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
Leroy! Those conversations between Patriots and Bucs are underway. https://t.co/iogT4O9Wqe
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 21, 2020
Now, allow us to clear up some confusion. Obviously, a dog isn’t breaking major NFL trades on Twitter, but how would this random, unverified dog account get this information weeks before anyone else?
Leroy is the dog of Barstool Sports personality PFT Commenter and co-host of the “Pardon My Take” podcast. The show is routinely given tips about sports trades and rumors, but with how wildly popular it is, it’s impossible to separate the good intel from the bad.
So PFT Commenter created this account for his dog as a way of throwing leads at the wall and seeing what sticks. And if they don’t stick, the dog will clean it up off the floor. Or at least, unknowingly take the blame.
This tip was spot on, however, and Leroy clarified that draft pick compensation was stalling the deal all this time.
Thank you for crediting Adam. They’ve been underway for over two weeks with draft pick compensation being the minor hang-up. Both sides are now close, hence the leaks have begun. Story first reported by me, a blind 12 year old English mastiff who loves naps and treats bark bark https://t.co/XqRNksKi7H
— Ghost Of Leroy (@LeroyInsider) April 21, 2020
Gronkowski is a recurring guest on the podcast with a close relationship with the hosts, so quite possibly, Leroy’s social media manager could have heard about the trade right from the source.
So in conclusion, the dog might be worth your follow on Twitter.
