Deadspin, SB Nation GIF Twitter Accounts Suspended, Reportedly Due to the NFL

The Twitter accounts for Deadspin and SB Nation GIFs have both been suspended tonight and it’s being reported the NFL is behind it.

The sudden suspension of two big Twitter accounts didn’t go unnoticed:

Deadspin and SB Nation GIF are suspended from Twitter. Amazing job, leagues.

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 12, 2015

Put @deadspin back up now!

— Bram Weinstein (@BramESPN) October 12, 2015

Hey, @Twitter – reinstate @Deadspin. Gratuitous l, unexplained censorship is indefensible. They come back, or we go.

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 12, 2015

I hope @Deadspin was actually suspended for like sending dick pics via DM to unsuspecting followers or something.

— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) October 12, 2015

MLB has also suspended @Deadspin and @SBNationGIF from Games 3 and 4 of the Mets-Dodgers series.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) October 12, 2015

The speculation on Twitter is that it was either the MLB or the NFL over posting GIFs from games on Twitter, and based on reports tonight it appears it was the NFL:

I'm told that it was the NFL — not the MLBAM — that sent the DMCA takedown requests that got @deadspin suspended.

— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 12, 2015

RE: @Deadspin: per the notice from Twitter, it looks like it's the NFL.

— Lacey Donohue (@laceydonohue) October 12, 2015

@petersterne seems that way indeed. Saw some NFL scribes get their vines suspended 7-10 days ago

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) October 12, 2015

I hear that the NFL sent Twitter more than a dozen DMCA takedown notices re Deadspin before the account was suspended.

— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 12, 2015

Deadspin officials just told me it appears the NFL got their Twitter account suspended. Unclear the exact reason why. @deadspin

— Ryan Parker (@TheRyanParker) October 12, 2015

It’s worth noting here that back in August, the NFL and Twitter signed a two-year deal to bring more game highlights to the social media service.

UPDATE –– 8:09 pm EST: Deadspin is, as of now, back:

TEST … TEST … http://t.co/VKN0osQQXl pic.twitter.com/BOStDQQ4yr

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 13, 2015

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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