As the Minnesota Vikings go about conducting their free agency business, spare a thought for Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson, who is now the subject of widespread lampooning over a tweet concerning Harrison Smith.
Tomasson passed on news of a text exchange regarding the future Ring of Honor safety, who apparently responded to Tomasson’s inquiry with a photo of Prince.
Cue Tomasson, a long-serving Vikings reporter for the St. Paul newspaper, attempting to discern meaning from the tweet:
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Prince. Since Prince is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. pic.twitter.com/8H76kDuSAa
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 14, 2023
This in turn sparked a flurry of parodies steeped in Minnesota history, with Tomasson’s tweet serving as a new meme template from merciless Vikings fans awaiting news on Smith’s future:
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Tator Tot Hotdish. Since Tator Tot Hotdish is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. pic.twitter.com/VbyTKpMhZI
— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔 𝕊𝕜𝕠𝕝 𝔹𝕦𝕤 (@skolallday27) March 14, 2023
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Spam. Since Spam is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. #spam @SPAMbrand pic.twitter.com/OM86hs41uo
— Blake Swanson (@blake1swanson) March 14, 2023
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Arif Body Pillow. Since Arif Body Pillow is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he's sticking around. But I didn't hear back. pic.twitter.com/YTwlYEjZJI
— Beef Brewskie (@svartsven) March 14, 2023
https://twitter.com/Forester932/status/1635637781035732993
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Yung Gravy. Since Mr. Gravy is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. pic.twitter.com/TPDjj2IGeZ
— crashout (@JJ2JJSzn) March 14, 2023
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of Irv Smith Jr. Since Irv Smith Jr. is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. pic.twitter.com/k29Ayt0V9G
— The Zim Zone4️⃣ (@TheZimZone) March 14, 2023
When I recently texted #Vikings safety Harrison Smith to ask about his contract situation, he simply sent back this photo of The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn @steadycraig. Since Craig is a Minnesota icon, I asked if that means he’s sticking around. But I didn’t hear back. pic.twitter.com/MiZNkZZYPv
— Bob Netherlands (@bobnetherlands) March 14, 2023
