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Baseball legend Chipper Jones has made the remarkable claim that Rory McIlroy is to blame for the vitriolic abuse he and his wife have faced at the Ryder Cup this week.
The Northern Irishman has been involved in several incidents with the heated New York crowd at Bethpage, with his wife Erica reportedly left in tears at the end of play on Saturday evening.
But while McIlroy has received sympathy from most, World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star Larry 'Chipper' Jones instead places the blame on the golfer himself - and claims he shouldn't have let his wife attend.
'Hi….my name is Chipper Jones,' the tweet began. 'I played in NY 12-15 times every yr for 20 yrs and multiple times in the postseason.
'AT NO TIME in 2 decades was my family EVER allowed to go to a game in NY. What do u expect to happen? Is it right? No! But when u are public enemy #1….expect to be treated harshly.
'No way that I expose my wife or kids to that. It’s unfair, but it’s reality in NY! PS…..in response to the NY crowd…..epic performance by Euro team!'
Baseball legend Chipper Jones (right) says Rory McIlroy shouldn't have brought his family
Many American fans at Bethpage taunted McIlroy over his rocky 2024 with wife Erica Stoll
The golfer said he was 'drained' at the end of a day that saw him frequently abused by US fans
The tweet quickly went viral and has been viewed by nearly two million users, with the majority condemning his 'outrageous' post.
'Chipper. I am a Braves fan from the UK but you have just embarrassed yourself with that tweet,' one said. 'The behaviour of those fans needs to be called out and condemned. Nobody should accept bad behaviour just because it's New York. Call it out for what it is, unacceptable.'
Another added: 'This is an outrageous take lmao. I've gone to countless Cowboys games in the Meadowlands over the years and never once have I had a drink thrown on me. This is not a common occurrence in NY.'
Jones' initial post was in reference to a clip that appeared to show McIlroy and his wife having a drink thrown at them from the grandstand at Bethpage.
In the video, McIlroy can be seen putting his arm around his wife and asking if she is okay, before guiding her away from the fans.
She and Rory left the course arm-in-arm, and it was reported that Erica was in tears
Jones played in New York for many years, feeling his fair share of abuse from the Bronx crowd
On Sunday, it was reported that Erica was in tears coming off the 18th green after the relentless abuse faced by her husband throughout the first two days of competition at the Ryder Cup.
After initially beginning as a humorous atmosphere - McIlroy joked with fans on Thursday during his practice round - Bethpage turned ugly when the tournament got underway.
On Friday evening, McIlroy gave the middle finger to fans as he walked off at the end of one of his rounds, and on Saturday morning he was met with 'f*** you, Rory' chants on the first tee.
Those X-rated chants were led by an American comedian MC'ing the first tee, and she has since stepped down from her role ahead of the final day.
Erica followed her husband with Diane Donald (center) and Wendy Lowry (right) on Saturday
McIlroy lost his cool at one point on Saturday and told Ryder Cup fans to 'shut the f*** up'
Throughout Saturday, McIlroy was subjected to more abuse, snapping during one hole and telling fans: 'Guys, shut the f*** up'.
As play continued, extra security was rushed in to protect the group, some fans were ejected from the course, and the chants got more and more vile.
Some jabbed the five-time major winner with comments about his divorce and Amanda Balionis, all with Erica watching on from close by.
As McIlroy walked off the final hole, he pointed at specific fans next to the green and said: 'F*** you, f*** you, f*** you.'
