Sports reporter claims Peter Whittingham is alive in hospital and not dead which a huge amount of users on Twitter believed him to be.
Rumours started by users online saying that he passed away after he fell down the stairs and was in intensive care on life support.
Absolutely devastated to hear about my old teammate whitts what a legend you are i had some special memories with you and cant thank you enough for what you did on and off the pitch for me so sad to lose you mate at such a young age my deepest condolence to the family RIP Whitts pic.twitter.com/rlBidj5ryk
— Michael Chopra (@MichaelChopra) March 17, 2020
Michael Chopra said: Absolutely devastated to hear about my old teammate whitts what a legend you are i had some special memories with you and cant thank you enough for what you did on and off the pitch for me so sad to lose you mate at such a young age my deepest condolence to the family RIP Whitts
Dai Sport journalist Terry Phillips was one of the first to pay tribute to the talented playmaker. He posted an article via Dai Sport, however that along with his social media account has been deleted.
He has since published an article, which read: “Yesterday, I wrote a story on this website in tribute to the former Cardiff City player Peter Whittingham.
“I had been told – from a very reliable source connected to Peter – that he had tragically passed away at the age of 35. It has since been confirmed to me that Peter is not dead, but continues to fight for his life in hospital. It is a battle I’m sure that every Cardiff City fan is praying he will win.
“In recognition of my mistake I would like to extend my most sincere and deepest apology to Peter, his family, friends and all supporters of the clubs he represented.
“It was an error on my part not to get this information verified by more sources closer to the Whittingham family – a mistake that I’m very aware is the most serious and grave error I’ve made in all my decades in journalism.
“Peter Whittingham was a very special footballer and my instinct was to pay tribute to that talent, based on information that I’m now very happy to say was inaccurate.
“I would like to wish Peter and his family all the very best for the future.”
Press Officer and Sports Reporter/PR Executive, James Candy, posted on twitter: “BREAKING: I have just had confirmation from Police that Peter Whittingham is ALIVE, currently in hospital.”
South Wales Police have now confirmed: “At around 10pm on March 7, South Wales Police were called to a licensed premises in Barry.
“A 35-year-old man from Penarth suffered a head injury as a result of a fall and remains at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
“At this stage there is no evidence or suggestion of a criminal act, and it appears the injury was caused by an accidental fall.
“Enquiries are continuing into the circumstances of the incident.”
Ashley Preece, who works for Birmingham Live, tweeted on Wednesday: ‘Spoke to a good friend of Peter Whittingham yesterday, says ex-#avfc midfielder had been in a bad way & everyone’s praying for him. His loving family want their privacy respected, please leave them in peace.’
What is certainly is awful to see, is the many people who posted the unsubstantiated rumours about his condition on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, so much so that his name was trending.
Fans gave their reaction as a sports reporter claims ex-Premier League and EFL player Peter Whittingham is alive in hospital and not dead…
There’s good news if that’s true ?
— MATT (@Mattlid18) March 18, 2020
please get through it peter ?
— Matthew Rose (@M91_rose) March 18, 2020
Amazing how fake news can spread, people saying he was dead yesterday. Hopefully he makes a full recovery
— Martin Griffin (@MartinGriffin4) March 18, 2020
All the people who put RIP posts yesterday reading this news pic.twitter.com/nIaeP8tR2e
— Ed Millington (@edmill25) March 18, 2020
Quick search of Peter Whittingham on Twitter highlights how easy it is to spread fake news and how some people are just shit humans.
— Daniel Prescott (@DanielDPrescott) March 18, 2020
Glad to hear Peter Whittingham is alive. Not the first time that Michael Chopra has made a twat of himself on social media with his announcement.
— JonMainwaring (@JonMainy) March 18, 2020
If anything this story should teach us, it is to check and research before posting anything as sensitive as this. We need to be 100% sure with what we post and not assume. Get well soon #peterwhittingham we are all praying for you and we are all behind you. #CCFC #Bluebirds pic.twitter.com/4GSuerCfol
— Josh Thomas (@JDPThomas) March 18, 2020
So… Peter Whittingham is in hospital, but is still alive. That's a relief.
It's very insensitive (to say the least) to spread rumours that someone has died when that isn't so. It really should go without saying, but please try not to do that again.
— Fuller FM (Chris) (@Fuller_FM) March 18, 2020
So Peter Whittingham is in fact alive! Amazing news! The amount of rumours spreading all over social media yesterday and fake news was huge. Always important to check the facts
— Jess Furness? (@jessicafurness_) March 18, 2020
Glad to hear Peter Whittingham is still alive. What a great baller and has a decent left foot on him. Just shows you don’t have to believe what you see on the internet before anything is confirmed. #peterwhittingham
— Jonathan Turnock (@jw_turnock) March 18, 2020
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