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When you imply Tim Thomas is a racist on Twitter, people are going to get upset

Dave Hodge

TSN host and reporter Dave Hodge stirred up some controversy Monday with a tweet that tacitly linked Boston goalie Tim Thomas to the Ku Klux Klan. Which 100 out of 100 times is bound to happen.

Hodge tweet

Hodge’s tweet, you’ve no doubt figured out for yourself, came after Thomas declined an invitation to the White House to protest what he believes is an “out of control” federal government.

Of course, the anti-big government message is the same one that’s promoted by the Tea Party, which has frequently been accused of racism.

Hodge addressed the issue Tuesday, once again taking to Twitter: “To clarify, yesterday’s tweet was simply a satirical, tongue-in-cheek observation meant to be humourous and not intended to be offensive.”

Because, hey, who would be offended by something as harmless as implying a guy was such a staunch bigot that he named his kids after the most notorious racist organization in American history?

The Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin dug into this topic for today’s column, reaching out to TSN president Stewart Johnston for a comment.

“Just to be clear, yesterday we corroborated Dave’s follow-up tweets that clarified his intention was not to offend, and be humorous,” Johnston told the Globe in an e-mail. “While I believe 100% in the sincerity of Dave’s intent, I also believe the tweet was in poor taste. We have discussed the matter at length with Dave. Beyond that, this is an internal matter and will be dealt with as such.”