The Washington Post suspended sports columnist Mike Wise for one month today following his Twitter hoax on Monday.

Wise, under the guise that he was conducting an experiment, used his personal Twitter account to announce that the NFL would suspend Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for five games, down from the initial six-game suspension handed out by commissioner Roger Goodell. It was a hoax. Roethlisberger will meet with Goodell later this month.

“My bosses at the Post feel I need a month to think about the severity of my actions,” Wise said at the beginning of his radio show on WJFK in Washington today, according to Sports Business Journal. “I tried to showcase the absurdity of bad journalism. I could give you 10 reasons why I did this and what went wrong in the execution. I made a horrendous mistake, using my Twitter account that identifies me as a Washington Post columnist.”

We’re not one to going to use our perch here at the National Football Post to suggest discipline was warranted. That’s not our call. But Wise needs to understand the power and value of social media platforms as platforms for news. He certainly crossed the line and the hope here is this serves as a valuable lesson for all.

Follow me on Twitter: BradBiggs

Click here to purchase the Total Access Pass/ Fantasy Draft Guide from the NFP and receive a free Deuce Brand watch while supplies last.