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    Busted Racquet

    Teenager finally gets Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open shirt

    Melissa Cook, the 14-year-old tennis fan who had Novak Djokovic's shirt snatched from her hands at the end of the Australian Open final, will get her souvenir after all.

    The mother of two who grabbed the shirt that Djokovic intended to throw at the teenager put the garment up for auction earlier this week. It sold for $5,877. The winning bid was put in by Melissa Cook's mother.

    Proceeds went to The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a charity designed to help child victims of bullying.

    Yael Rothschild put the shirt up for auction because she felt "abused and threatened," according to her husband.

    "My wife has been vilified in the social media and by some traditional media as a result of misunderstanding over the shirt of Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic," he said. "Our home address has been broadcast on Facebook and this has led to personal abuse and even threats."

    Except for the decision to donate proceeds to charity, none of this story is what you'd call uplifting. Rothschild grabbed the shirt that was clearly intended for someone else. The press, this blog included, rightly criticized her for that decision. Idiots on Facebook then took that too far and made threats. Then Cook's parents bought her the shirt, teaching the erroneous lesson that money can solve all problems.

    Hope the shirt was worth it.

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    • who me  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  3 months ago
      Your wife is a greedy b@#ch
      • Ardo 3 months ago
        She did nothing wrong. Go kick your fish, if you are #$%$ off at someone.
      • Jon 3 months ago
        She did nothing wrong thats like saying Obama is a good president LOL.
      • Alan 3 months ago
        Other than being a greedy #$%$ and snatching something clearly meant for someone else, she did nothing wrong.
    • RJ  •  Boston, Massachusetts  •  3 months ago
      Vilified ??? Buddy first of all, you come to the aid of your wife, so I commend you for that.
      Somehow the irony is, unless you met her on Friday, and married her on Saturday - something tells me this isn't the first time you will be shamefully proud, and it more than likely
      won't be your last.
      • wendell 3 months ago
        They met when he found her washed up on the beach with a harpoon stuck in her...
      • sameog 3 months ago
        @ RJ: hahahaha! Classic!
      • scott 3 months ago
        She is an embarasment to his family, this will not be last time he will have to have to come to her aid. She will cry foul when her divorce finally comes in.
    • Johno  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  3 months ago
      ""My wife has been vilified in the social media and by some traditional media as a result of misunderstanding over the shirt . . . ." Misunderstanding? No, idiot! Your wife is a thief and a low-life and she knew very well that the shirt was being thrown to that young girl. If it had been a misunderstanding, why didn't your low-life wife just hand the shirt over to it's intended recipient when informed that it was not intended for her? I have had the pleasure of visiting Australia many times and I have been very fortunate never to have come across people like you and your pig wife!
      • Ardo 3 months ago
        You are mistaken. The woman that grabbed the shirt to begin with, never even saw the girl next to her. So stop throwing rocks at this woman.
      • Jon 3 months ago
        Thats because she couldnt see past the flabby arms of hers. She had to reach out to grab it to bad she didnt fall on her #$%$ when she did that.
      • William 3 months ago
        I sentence your wife to appearing on American Idol and telling everybody that she was the thief that stole the shirt and auctioned it off instead of giving it back, and how she only donated the money to charity because she was afraid somebody was going to hurt her. You can't villify a villain any more than you can criminalize a criminal.
    • music freak  •  Greenville, South Carolina  •  3 months ago
      Misunderstanding, eh?
      • a worker 3 months ago
        Believe that ( A MISUNDERSTEANDING ) my butt , have a bridge underwater for sale really LIER LIER LIER pants on fire ..
    • Bill Smith  •  3 months ago
      Still wonder why Novak Djokovic did not come up with another shirt or some of this money after seeing the press??????

      Also, as much as I feel this woman is TRASH, death threats and violence is NOT called for...IT WAS JUST A SHIRT!!!!!
      • Jon 3 months ago
        I agree the threats of violence and bodily harm are a bit to far but all other insults etc are all good.
      • tubluklawe 3 months ago
        NEXT TIME Novak Djokovic THROWS A SHIRT THROW IT BACK AT HIM!
    • skrod  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 months ago
      Somehow...I just don't see the proceeds going to charity!
    • Fotis T.  •  3 months ago
      Maybe the parents should not have bought the shirt but why are they the guilty party. The woman that took what she wanted though she knew it was intended for someone else is the guilty party and a super dose of media abuse and harassment is more than deserved. SHE is the problem, and it was her greed that made it the fiasco it became. Lets place ALL of the blame where it belongs. ALL of it!!!
    • Cowboy  •  Jacksonville, Arkansas  •  3 months ago
      makes you wonder if she realy is donating the proceeds to charity or not
    • Jay Dees  •  Irvine, California  •  3 months ago
      Djokovic could very well provided the girl with another jersey if he was indeed throwing it to her.
    • Lindy  •  Telford, Pennsylvania  •  3 months ago
      Your wife mister "know it all", said in her own words "tough." She said there were 20 some people that could have grabbed it.... but guess what, none of them did but your wife and it was clearly intended for the teen,.....AND if you listen to your remarks, your bitter over losing the money. Anytime, your wife could have gone public, apologized and handed over the shirt to the kid. No one likes a selfish greedy adult bully who takes something special away from a kid!!!

      This is KARMA!!!
    • RICK  •  3 months ago
      Yael Rothschild deserves to be threatened. She is a clear example of the worst of humanity.
    • x  •  3 months ago
      So the selfish pig couldn't even GIVE the shirt to the teenage girl who idolizes Djokovic. Pig had to let the family BUY it back, then took credit for a nice charity donation, and now pig will save thousands on its tax return. Meanwhile the girl's family showed very bad judgment by buying the shirt: they rewarded pig, and taught their own daughter a wrong lesson about what matters in life.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Mt Hamilton, California  •  3 months ago
      Hardly feel sorry for m cook. She can afford a $5877 shirt. Isn 't like a bouquet toss where everyone is free to grab? Certainly looks like it from Djok 's perspective. He just stood & watch, enjoying his popularity.
    • Jeff P  •  3 months ago
      Pat yourself on the back a little more
    • Captain Bear  •  3 months ago
      This woman should have the grace to give back the shirt that she snatched from the hands of a little girl. Some people just don't have class like Captain Coward don't have the courage in the face of greed or danger. We all have sons and daughters and nothing in this world can ever replace the look of happiness in their faces.
    • Paul  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 months ago
      There was no misunderstanding. This chick knew it was supposed to go to the little girl, but being the white trash she was, decided she wanted it instead. Now because of the grief everyone else is giving here, she puts it on e-bay. No one believes the money is going to any other charity but her own bu*t. She did not act on her own sense (or in this case lack) of morals.
    • Citizen  •  3 months ago
      The woman could have - anf should have - simply given the shirt to the girl and publicly apologized for the "mistake" when things got too hot for her... Why all the #$%$
    • steve  •  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  •  3 months ago
      I think Rothschild was wrong, totally. However, I don't think the teenager should be pitied as much as she has been. Apparently, this young lady carried other memorabilia of Djokovic's with her that day, acquired from earlier matches. So, what we have here are two wealthy children fighting over something a lot less important than a last meal.
    • Fred  •  Fresno, California  •  3 months ago
      When I first saw the story headline I thought 'good, the woman realized what she did was wrong and sent the teenager the shirt'. I was surprised to find out that was NOT the truth. I wonder what her reaction would have been if someone did this to one of her kids. She's a pitiful role model for them.
    • tara b  •  3 months ago
      ahh... guilt is a powerfull tool. she would not give the shirt to the girl, but to charity.. thinking it make her feel better? not, she will always remember her greed.

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