There are some 180 profiles on the professional networking site LinkedIn under the name Barry Sanders. They include a professor at the University of Calgary, an executive at a Virginia-based management consulting firm and a lawyer from Phoenix.
There are also joke profiles like one with zero followers that lists their occupation as “running back” at “NFL Network” and another claiming to be the general manager of the Lions. It’s profiles like those that have led to a bit of a headache for the real Barry Sanders.
Raj Mehta/USA Today Sports
The Hall of Fame running back tweeted on Thursday that he’d been locked out of his LinkedIn account because the site believed he was an imposter. The Lions great asked his followers for help in trying to regain control of account, promising a football card to one lucky person who retweeted the post.
It has to be frustrating to be accused of trying to impersonate a famous person when you actually are that famous person. Luckily for Sanders, though, because he’s so famous, he was able to get the whole situation resolved in less than an hour.
Hey everyone - thanks a million - TEAM SANDERS came thru. Linked In has restored my account. And for the person that got me in touch with Ryan at @LinkedIn - you won - will get your address thru him. https://t.co/vHY090ibsm
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) October 26, 2023
With that situation resolved, now other LinkedIn users are once again able to endorse Sanders for skills like “breaking tackles” and “juke moves.”
