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What's Trending: Twitter Kills Joe Flacco, Confusion Ensues

For the second time in a calendar year, the Ravens QB has been the target of a death hoax.

By Jacob Griffith
Joe Flacco throw a pass vs. the St. Louis Rams last season
Joe Flacco throw a pass vs. the St. Louis Rams last season
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Twitter can be a wonderful place sometimes.

Other times, it can be a really, really awful place, like tonight where Ravens QB Joe Flacco was the center of yet another fake death rumor. This time, a very popular Ravens fan account was hacked, tweeting out the message that Flacco had passed in a serious car accident.

The account, @RavensNationLIVE, which has over 60.5K followers, tweeted the following, sending Twitter into panic mode:

Twitter, being it's usual self, flew off the handle, despite no credible sources confirming the death. Instead, Flacco's verified account, @TeamFlacco, was inundated with heartfelt messages of "rest in peace" and "we'll miss you." The hoax prompted a #RipJoe hashtag and, at one point, was the number four trending topic in the US.

The Ravens account later tweeted they had been hacked and apologized to all of it's followers, but the damage had already been done.

The Ravens have since put an end to the madness, officially confirming on Twitter what we all know: Joe Cool is still alive and kicking it. The man himself has yet to comment (his last tweet came a day ago), but don't hold your breath. Unless directly asked, it's doubtful the 2011 Super Bowl champion even acknowledges it. Still though, it has to be a strange experience reading about your own death.

This is now the second time Flacco has been the target of a fake death story. The last came in November. This also comes on the heels of the Roger Goodell death hoax, in which hacked Twitter accounts reported that the NFL commissioner had met his untimely demise.

Never change, Twitter.

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