Auburn newspaper ripped for printing gruesome Treadwell injury on cover

Ole Miss lost three things on Saturday against Auburn: a late fumble, the game and Laquon Treadwell. But Rebels fans lost something else.

Their patience.

It was no surprise when local newspaper The Opelika-Auburn News headlined with the SEC showdown, but it was the lead photo that irked fans.

The paper's design team chose to use the photo of Ole Miss wide receiver Treadwell fumbling the ball at the end of the game. 

The problem here is the photo also prominently displays his dislocated ankle, which is grotesque to say the least.

After Rebels fans showed no mercy for the photo selection, the paper stuck its guns in a Sunday editorial. Here's an excerpt of the post:

It was a horrific occurrence, though it’s important to remember that it was a legal play... However, it was also one of the most crucial plays in a contest between two top-five college football teams. The picture is gut-wrenching. It also tells the story. That’s why we chose to run it. As journalists, our primary job is to report what happens - whether by words or photos. Often, what we write or publish is unpleasant. Regarding the photo, this was one of those instances. We did not intend to glorify Treadwell’s injury or offend any reader. To any person hurt by our editorial decision, we apologize.

Our staff has already spent several hours discussing Sunday’s decisions, and we’ll continue to do that in the next few days. If we could redesign Sunday’s 1B again, we would. One thing we would do is use a different headline. We chose “FINDING A WAY” because after the game, numerous players and coaches discussed how the team keeps fighting and finding a way to win difficult games, such as those against Ole Miss, South Carolina and Kansas State.