Wilshere's Failed Drugs Test Rumors: A Fan's Take

There's a lot time to talk in the off-season and people have Twitter, message boards and Facebook to feed their need to gossip and tittle-tattle; so, I wasn't really stunned last week when false rumors spread from a Twitter account alleging that Jack Wilshere had not played for Arsenal because he had failed a drugs test.

Wilshere suffered a stress fracture in his ankle in pre-season for the 2011-12 season, as the injury worsened it prevented him from playing for the Gunners. He underwent surgery in September of last year. The ankle injury even deprived him the opportunity to travel to the Euros with England.

It was a major setback for the 20-year-old midfielder and now he has this junk rumor to deal with. How does someone on Twitter know that Wilshire failed a drugs test or not? The allegation got Arsenal to make a swift response and a short statement in The Sun. How do we know the tweet didn't come from some Tottenham fan that lives in his mom's basement, whose hobbies include stuffing their face with Ho Hos and playing hours of Warcraft?

The Arsenal statement said: "The rumored reason on social networks behind Jack's absence this past season is entirely fabricated and false."

The Sun also reported that the club had sought legal advice over the matter. Arsenal is an enormous football franchise, worth millions upon millions of dollars. They're a club that is respected, for the most part, around the world. If the The Sun's report is true and Arsenal did seek legal advice for something that was tweeted, the organization made a move that was extremely rash. Has the franchise's legal team lost their minds? It's a tweet. It could've come from any homer with a twisted vendetta against Wilshere.

Arsenal, you don't put out a statement to even justify the possible legitimacy of this tweet, or, any tweet for that matter.

We're talking about Twitter here. Does The Sun actually think that something posted on a Twitter account is considered an actual news source? The Sun needs to find an actual person who will confirm the allegation and give their name oh, my mistake that would be honest journalism.

Now the rumor's out there marinating in the social media sphere. Jack Wilshere has to live with a Twitter post that could create suspicion in anyone's mind that he comes in contact with for the rest of his career. And he's only a couple of months from being a teenager.

Editors at The Sun, this post about Wilshere is like something the News of the World would've reported on vigorously. Where's that pillar of journalist integrity today?

Note: I would have included a link to the Twitter post in this piece, but I don't feel like giving it anymore weight. I've been an Arsenal fan for nearly a decade. My cousin got me interested in the club at a young age.

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Wilshere's Failed Drugs Test Rumors: A Fan's Take