Hanley Ramirez Instagram Photo Sparks Contract Rumors. He Says It Was a Joke.

Will Hanley Ramirez sign a contract extension with the Dodgers this offseason or let the matter carry into next year and become a distraction? The question seemed to be answered Friday night when Hanley posted the following image on Instagram:

Oh yeah! Hanley is on his way to L.A. to sign that contract extension. Everyone thought.

And then the next day everyone sobered up and the truth came out: the Instragram posting was just a gag. Hanley was actually flying to the Dominican Republic, not L.A.. As of now, no contract extension is imminent.

Why Hanley? Why would you do your fans that way?

Athletes, please learn responsible use of social media. You post stuff like that, people are going to take it seriously. That stuff is going to spread. It takes about four seconds for a joke to become a massive story. Especially with legit media outlets lazily using social media as sources.

Thankfully in this case no one really got hurt. Well except a few Dodger fans who got really excited thinking Ramirez was about to sign an extension. And they’re not actually hurt, just annoyed. They’ll get over it.

Next time though, some real damage could be done. Please Hanley Ramirez. Instagram responsibly from now on.

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