November 6, 2024

Dick Butkus gets Twitter blue check, sacks Aaron Rodgers

Former Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus watches during a game against the Giants in Chicago on Nov. 24, 2019. (Paul Sancya/AP)

Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus finally got verified on Twitter and it went straight to his head.

“Now that i have the blue mark i can kick people off of the platfrom (sic) right,” the former linebacker tweeted. “You hear me @Aaron Rodgers12″

Butkus, 79, joined Twitter in October but got his “blue mark” Friday. Regarded as one of the hardest-hitting players the NFL has ever known, Butkus took a shot not only at Rodgers, but at Green Bay Packers fans too.

“Also sorry to disappoint some of you packers fans now that im trendy its not because im dead,” he tweeted after news of his blue badge started spreading on Twitter. The Bears-Packers rivalry is among the oldest in professional football, dating back more than a century. While Chicago didn’t make the 2022 playoffs, Green Bay plays the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night in a highly anticipated postseason matchup. Shortly after being verified, Butkus started wondering when he’d reap the benefits. “Its been over an hour since ive been verified and i dont understand why none of the sponsorship money has hit the account yet,” he tweeted.

The former linebacker, who so far has more than 41,000 followers, actually spent a good part of the day corresponding with fans. When asked how long a modern-day quarterback would have lasted in his era, Butkus, who played from 1965 to 1973 and made the Pro-Bowl eight times, estimated about a half-hour.

Another fan seemingly joked the smash-mouth defensive star killed his grandfather on the football field. “Probably deserved it,” Butkus responded.

Before signing off Friday, the former Monster of the Midway actually apologized for having other things to do.

“Not gonna be able to respond to all of you tonight,” Butkus tweeted. “Thank you kindly for the support.”