John Henry Blames Terry Francona For Injury Sustained On His Megayacht

There was a somber mood in the Deadspin office last Friday, when we received word that Red Sox owner and billionaire John Henry had been rushed to the hospital after sustaining an injury on his megayacht in Boston. We wondered if he'd broken a bone, or gotten a paper cut from a million-dollar bill, or if he'd had too many cigars and passed out from the fumes.

We wondered if we could get a picture of him in a neck brace. (Alas, that never surfaced.)

What we never bothered to speculate on was whether or not Terry Francona, recently departed manager of the Red Sox, played any part in Henry's injury. In retrospect, it was an obvious oversight—the injury took place the same day that Francona stepped down, and old men usually do not do well with surprises (Henry is 62). Yesterday, John_W_Henry took to his Twitter account to explain his near brush with yacht death:

Henry also joked about his fall on his yacht last Friday, a short time before the Sox held press conferences after issuing statements that Francona's two-year option would not be exercised.

"Thanks to all of the well-wishers. I'm fine. But it makes one appreciate health. Rushing downstairs is dangerous for an old guy."

Explaining the accident, he tweeted: "I just ended up in the hospital trying to get to a press conference. I've always preferred talking with fans.''

Henry even got on the defensive when a paranoid Boston fan accused him of lying ("FRAUD, You fall down the stairs the day the Sox can the manager of 8 seasons ? Nobody believes you"), responding: "It was sort of his fault. He was in a hurry and I was trying to make it there. Believe it or not."

We hope this inspires the Henrys to install the appropriate rubber grip on the yacht staircase, so that they are able to safely travel from one floor of the yacht to the other floors in the yacht. It's just sensible, you know? And we hope that soon there is a picture of John Henry in a neck brace.

Henry surfaces with a tweet, and a dodge [ESPN]

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