Brady Tkachuk is not an athlete who would typically feel intimidated by someone threatening him with violence, but it is the principle that matters.
The Ottawa Senators’ forward has a superb physique, but even he has had enough online hecklers and irate gamblers who vent out their frustrations against players, issuing threats, insults, and worse.
Even Physically Threatening Athletes Get Bullied Online
Tkachuk has joined a growing choir of voices that have called for the end of abuse against professional athletes, often fueled by losing wagers. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski interviewed Tkachuk and spoke about his experience with such online abusers.
Tkachuk did not hold the bag. He said people were constantly sniping at him for certain plays that didn’t come up with the bookie, accusing him of bearing responsibility, or even demanding refunds.
He even had to change his Venmo account as online harassment continued on the platform. Apart from the need for more to be done against these anonymous abusers, Tkachuk similarly spoke about the state of sports betting, focusing on the more piecemeal type of bets – parlays and micro-betting, which invite this type of behavior.
On Venmo, some of the abusers had misused his photos and set up alternate accounts to harm his reputation. Much of this can be stopped, argues Tkachuk, not least by law enforcement, who can track the abusers.
Tkachuk also said that he was surprised to find out that people would ask him for money because their bets didn’t come through, and confirmed that he would never pay back a gambler. He found the whole thing “funny,” that a fan or someone who bets on the sport would hold players to account for not making a certain play because said person had money riding on the fact.
It had nothing to do with the athletes’ mindset, Tkachuk explained. Pros are just trying to play to the best of their ability, and no, they cannot pay back fans for losing wagers, not least because it would break the NHL’s rules and jeopardize their career.
Tkachuk Keeps His Cool Despite the Abuse He Is Subject To
Despite his formidable physique, Tkachuk remained calm throughout the conversation and did not betray too great of emotion. He explained that he “got it” and could understand why people would get emotional over bets being wins or losses, but reminded everyone that this was still a game that is being played.
“Do you really think I care about your parlay?” he asked rhetorically. For those who are abusing athletes online even now and who can’t figure out the answer – it’s no, pro athletes don’t care about your busted parlays.