Carlton Cole rues fine for 'trying to be humorous' on Twitter
Sunday 15 March 2015 12:59, UK
Carlton Cole believes his £20,000 fine is a heavy price to pay for trying to be funny on social media.
The West Ham striker admitted breaking the FA’s social media rules this week after posting an abusive term on his Twitter account in response to a post from a Tottenham fan following the 2-2 draw on February 22.
Cole was fined £20,000 – just as he was for a Tweet he posted in 2011 – and he has conceded he made a mistake by responding.
“I was disappointed I got done,” he told Goals on Sunday.
“The amount of abuse you get on Twitter is sometimes unruly and you can’t defend yourself as a footballer.
“Obviously I know I’ve got responsibility and I’m a role model and some of the language that gets spouted at you, you can’t return it. You’ve got to be very aware of that and I did make a mistake.
“You can’t defend yourself. You’re a sitting duck really and you need to try and be able to blank it out of your mind – but some of the stuff they say is too much.
“If you can’t handle it you should stay off Twitter or else you’re going to be getting fined a lot.
“Forty grand hurts! I try to keep it humorous on Twitter, but sometimes being humorous does get you into trouble.”
However, Cole vowed the incidents would not deter him from using Twitter to talk to supporters.
“I like to interact with the fans and tell my jokes,” he added.
“I just like to show my emotions. We’re not robots, us footballers, and Twitter is a great avenue to show our real character.”
