Elisha Cuthbert, NHL Husband Threaten Sports Network With Lawsuit Over On-Air Tweet

That’s a tweet Canadian sports channel TSN would like to take back.

Hollywood actress Elisha Cuthbert (24, Happy Endings) and husband and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf threatened to sue TSN’s TradeCenter TV show on late Tuesday after an insinuating tweet appeared on an ongoing social media crawl at the bottom of the screen on Monday.

The message, from the Twitter account of hockey fan Anthony Adragna, which has  since been deleted, alleged Leafs player Joffrey Lupul was in a sexual relationship with Cuthbert. It was unclear whether TSN’s screener missed the offending tweet or if it appeared via an automated feed.

Lupul, Cuthbert and Phaneuf on Tuesday retained Gall Legge Grant & Munroe LLP, and in a statement from the legal firm demanded TSN “issue a formal apology and pay a significant amount of damages to each of our clients for broadcasting a false and defamatory tweet during their trade deadline show yesterday.”

Otherwise a lawsuit is coming down the line, with a similar letter having gone to Adragna. The irony is TSN-parent BCE holds a major stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

Not long after Monday’s insinuating tweet appeared on the TSN TV show, Lupul issued his own tweet: “TSN just a poor mans TMZ. Embarrassing.” TSN’s PR department said on its own Twitter account that an “inappropriate and disrespectful” tweet wrongly made it to air.

“We’ve reached out to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and all those impacted to extend our sincerest apologies for our error,” the network added. On late Tuesday TSN also said it would air a statement during the sport channel’s broadcast of the game between the Maple Leafs and the Florida Panther, and the SportsCenter broadcast to follow, in which it will formally apologizes to Cuthbert, Phaneuf and Lupul.

The network is set to state: “In spite of TSN’s protocols to prevent unfounded and inappropriate tweets from making it to air, a false, and inappropriate tweet was allowed to run.” A TSN spokesman offered no comment when asked whether financial compensation will be made to Cuthbert, Phaneuf and Lupul.

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