Tom Pelissero Mar 2, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NFLTwitterBy Sean Keeley on

Lamar Jackson has signed with the Denver Broncos.

If you didn’t know better, that sentence might give you pause or make you do a double-take. That certainly appears to be how a lot of readers took it when they saw Tom Pelissero’s Tuesday tweet announcing that former Chicago Bears defensive back Lamar Jackson, had signed with the Broncos practice squad.

Pelissero knew exactly what he was doing with the cheeky tweet and the brief panic it would cause so many Baltimore Ravens fans, not to mention how many Broncos fans had perhaps the only moment of pure joy they’ll experience all season.

Coincidentally, the Ravens and Broncos play this Sunday, providing the NFL Network insider with a nice capper on his shady tweet.

NFL insiders have certainly done way worse than this and it was all in good fun, but if Pelissero was hoping to get a reaction out of his colleagues, he accomplished it.

“Tom,” said NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport simply.

 

“My stomach just dropped on the plane after reading that first line, and not because of the turbulence,” said NFL Network commentator Taylor Bisciotti. “Thank you, Tom. Happy Tuesday.”

And plenty of media folks outside of NFL Network felt the shock of the cheeky tweet, too.

Lord knows there are too many reasons not to trust what you see on Twitter these days that we don’t need trickery adding into the mix. But it was also a very good test to determine who actually reads the whole tweet before reacting.

The lesson? Next time one of the Josh Allens or Mike Williamses changes teams, maybe look to Rapoport for the details on that.

[Tom Pelissero]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Sean Keeley