Report: Skins nearly Te'oed by Twitter pics of porn star

Report: Skins nearly Te'oed by Twitter pics of porn star

Michael Conroy/AP

The Manti Te'o scandal inspires at least one copycat involved with some Washington Redskins.

Manti Te'o claims he was the victim of an online hoax, and it turns out the Notre Dame star is far from the only athlete who may have been targeted via social media recently.

According to NFL.com, in December the Redskins posted a memo directing players to avoid all contact with the person owning the Twitter account @RedRidnH00d. That account featured the picture of adult film actress C.J. Miles.

According to the report, at least four Redskins players had previously had contact with the account, which goes by the pseudonym Sidney Ackerman.

“Ackerman” had altered Miles’ photos â€" changing her hair color, for instance â€" to appear as a different person. The report indicated that players attempted to meet “Ackerman” several times but to no avail.

A Redskins spokesman declined comment.

This case never got to the level of Te’o’s situation.

According to the report, the team ultimately determined that the person behind the Ackerman persona was a female Redskins fan who never attempted to exploit any of the players.

NFL.com also discovered a Twitter account with the handle @RideAndDieChick that used photos from the same actress and was followed by 22 verified NFL players and six verified NBA players. Both accounts have since been deleted.

The cases show how the increased access to athletes that Twitter provides a shortcut for those looking to scam them.

Shortly after the news of Te’o’s fake girlfriend broke last week, Colts punter Pat McAfee admitted that he was nearly tricked as well. On his Twitter account, McAfee recounted conversing via direct message with someone called “Abigail Johnson” on Twitter several years ago. Ultimately, McAfee said he figured out she was probably fake and was vindicated when he saw the Twitter account mentioned on MTV’s “Catfish.”