Jon Rothstein is a man who exists in a world entirely of his own making.
The CBS Sports insider lives, breathes, and sleeps college basketball, though he won’t get an ounce of REM until May. So Rothstein can possibly be excused from truly turning off his brain to the outside world. Of course, this is the same guy who would tweet out news of the College of Charleston scheduling a game with Rhode Island for 2034 during the Super Bowl.
He’s also someone who broke news while his wife was in labor. You get the picture.
But sometimes, having those blinders on can lead to moments like Thursday, when a seemingly unknowing Jon Rothstein posted what he thought was a fairly innocuous update. Instead, it came off as an inability to read the room.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET, Rothstein tweeted out an update about UConn transfer Aidan Mahaney. He reported that the former Saint Mary’s Gaels guard would visit Florida State and Florida Atlantic this weekend.
UConn transfer Aidan Mahaney tells me that he will visit both Florida State and Florida Atlantic this weekend.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 17, 2025
Rothstein later amended the tweet, saying that Mahaney would no longer travel to Tallahassee that weekend. But there’s a reason for that, and it’s not because Luke Loucks’s program secured a commitment from another guard in the transfer portal.
UConn transfer Aidan Mahaney tells me that he no longer plans to visit Florida State this weekend. https://t.co/FgQZSoBzUc
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 17, 2025
It’s because a 20-year-old son of a Florida sheriff’s deputy opened fire on FSU’s campus, killing two and injuring six.
Rothstein seemed unaware of the gravity of the situation.
By the time he posted the update on Mahaney’s weekend schedule, we were already aware of the casualties and the identity of the shooter. And Rothstein’s tweet, stripped of any context, felt jarringly out of place. Instead of acknowledging the tragedy, it came across as more tone deaf than anything, without any recognition of the real-world events unfolding just miles away.
We’re not here to pile on Rothstein. Everyone knows his brand. The relentless updates, quirky catchphrases, and basketball 24/7. Love it or roll your eyes at it, that’s the shtick. But in this case, the inability to read the room rubbed many people the wrong way. And on a day when sensitivity mattered, that kind of disconnect didn’t go unnoticed.
Jon Rothstein might actually have no idea what is happening outside of the CBB world https://t.co/jb5w8ie7Gi
— Bailey VanHouten (@LWOSVanHouten) April 18, 2025
The “ignoring major happenings in the world to tweet about college basketball” bit doesn’t have to be 24/7.
This is a really bad look.
And even if, somehow, Jon wasn’t aware of the FSU tragedy at the time of the tweet, he has to be aware now, and this still up. Terrible. https://t.co/yVxRD26NOm
— Jalin Troutman (@JalinTroutman35) April 17, 2025
Read the room Jon, Jesus Christ
— Allan Westerholt (@allanw98) April 17, 2025
Seriously Jon? I get the job and the bit but you have to have some feeling when you tweet this stuff out. People died at FSU today. https://t.co/FNl26dckZB
— Isaiah Walker (@walkeri141) April 17, 2025
There was a mass shooting and reportedly several people died today at Florida State.
Maybe have a little feel every once and while and hold off on tweeting this out now and today? https://t.co/0C44FEm9nN
— OfficiatingObserver17 (@RefObserver17) April 17, 2025
Maybe because campus is shut down due to a horrific mass shooting? But please, get your clicks in https://t.co/GvnrKPghCA
— Michael Kaney (@michael_kaney) April 17, 2025
This isn’t even Rothstein’s first moment like this.
I still think about when Jon Rothstein tweeted this out a few minutes after the Damar Hamlin injury 😳😬 pic.twitter.com/cyOxWIt9f1
— Ben Cary (@Ben_Cary_) February 3, 2024
Again, Jon Rothstein didn’t technically do anything wrong; he just did what he always did. He wasn’t deliberately ignoring the situation. But still, maybe — just maybe — it wasn’t the right time to hit send.
