I admit it. I was curious so I had to ask. I wanted to know how Ross Ventrone, the guy Steelers fans know as the fiery special teams' player, become known as @RustyBenson35 on Twitter or just plain RustyBenson on Instagram.
When I asked, he laughed.
"Whenever I was in middle school my brother's buddy called me Russ," explained Ventrone. "I got mad. I would tell them my name is Ross, not Russ. Then they messed with me and called me Russ and I hated it.
"There was a teacher in the high school named Russ Benson, and he had wrestled for my high school and I wrestled at the time, so they started calling me Russ Benson. I was annoyed at first and then it evolved into this thing and ever since everybody called me that. There were people in school that didn't even know my real name."
If you are going to have an alter ego on social media, well then you might as well have fun with it. And Ventrone definitely does. He enjoys Twitter and Instagram, showing the fun side of his personality and allowing people to see what he is like when he is away from football.
"I take football really seriously. I love it," said Ventrone. "Social media is a way for me to show who I am, the fun side of me, and how I goof around. It's the day-to-day fun I have."
That fun includes posting some clever, creative, entertaining pictures on both Twitter and Instagram. You honestly never know what to expect next. And that makes him a fun, entertaining follow on both.
"My friends and I, guys I grew up with, we have always been into doing creative stuff and having fun," said Ventrone. "We scout locations out for pictures, figure out what we want to do, and take a million different pictures. We are always just thinking of different stuff to do to have fun.
"The fans get to see who I am and interact and it's nice to have that connection with people who follow me. I enjoy that connection."
