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MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Withey becomes friends with @FakeJeffWithey creator
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
Jeff Withey was trying hard to keep Lawrence's biggest secret.
Kansas' star center knew the mastermind behind the @FakeJefWithey Twitter account was in Allen Fieldhouse to watch him play against Colorado on Dec. 8. He didn't know just how close he came to blowing his cover.
Of course Withey knew many other people in the crowd that day. Some of his friends had come up to watch him play and, as always, his parents were in the crowd. It was just sheer misfortune for Fake Jeff that he was seated next to Withey's mother.
"My mom is
"My mom is really nosey," Withey said. "And obviously in the Fieldhouse everyone sits very close to each other."
So when the notorious Twitter fiend started typing up his "Halftime Locker Room, Udate."
Withey's mom grabbed his arm to see what her neighbor was up to. She instantly thought her son was sending a text message from the locker room and started to scold this stranger for breaking Withey's focus.
It wasn't a coincidence, however, that Fake Jeff was seated along with Withey's family and friends After all, it was Withey who got him the tickets.
"He's one of my closest friends at KU now," Withe said of the man who controls his alter ego. But it sure didn't start off like that.
When the account first began, and it's culprit remained anonymous to Withey, the big man couldn't withe it.
"I thought it was annoying."
Withey said. "He was the complete opposite of me. I didn't want people to think of me as this sex-crazed guy."
after games to see what his biz zaro-self was up to.
Conversely,Fake Jeff never cared about getting thousands of followers. He was in it for hilarity's sake.Two years ago he had no emotional ties to Kansas' center and didn't care much about his feelings.All he saw was a lengthy man that no one knew much about.So he decided to change that.Even if he had to make it all up.
The account tweeted lewd and crude content. Everything from imaginary sexual exploits to parodies of Bill Self's pre-game speeches and even a few catchphrases — "Withey Whips His Hair Back And Forth" and "Withey Block Party" to name a few. The latter even became a website.
But as Withey became a bigger part of the jayhawks' victories, the account grew in recognition. Even Withey's teammates were getting addicted to his virtual counterpart. Soon even Withey couldn't help but check Twitter
"Fake Jeff is not like the account at all. He's really funny. I was just expecting something completely different."
In September, 2011, Fake Jeff Withey was born, loud and proud and with no shame.
Although, it didn't carry the same weight it does now. In fact, when his first tweets went unnoticed, Fake Jeff thought he might shut it down. It wasn't
until Withey
started getting ample playing time that people started to pay attention to his parody.
JEFF WITHEY senior center
"It if he was a benchwarmer it wouldn't be as popular," Fake Jeff said.
It's a little bit of an ironic sentiment because Withey doesn't know where he would be without the account.
"I feel like he's definitely made me more popular with the student body," Withey said. "It was just perfect timing."
No, perfect timing is what took place at Tonic a little more than a year ago when Fake Jeff was given a private room for tweeting about the Lawrence bar.
"It was a Saturday night and we were thinking of stuff to do," Withey said of the night he met his Twitter twin.
Withey's girlfriend was a mutual friend of Fake Jeff. When she heard he had a private room at Tonic she pushed the idea of introducing the two Jeffs in her life.
Withey ended up at the bar in what became the beginning of an unconventional friendship that can only be explained in the 21st century.
"I was expecting a crude guy that just cusses," Withey said. "Fake Jeff is not like the account at all. He's a cool guy. He's really funny. I was just expecting something completely different."
They met. They drank. They tweeted:
Fake Jeff was going over the finer points of the account, showing off some of his mentions and looking at direct messages when he proposed an idea to Withey.
"People still thought it was him,"Fake Jeff said of his identity. "I was like 'You wanna mess with them?'
The result was Withey taking a self photo from Fake Jeff's phone and tweeting it from the account. Followers went crazy. Many of Withey's fans fell for it, claiming they knew it was Withey all along.
It wouldn't be the last time Fake Jeff and Withey used the account to mess with people. Withey loves playing Fake Jeff's identity, even going as far as tricking his friends. When he first introduces them to Fake Jeff, he doesn't reveal that he runs the account until they're begging to know.
What started as an obscure night at Tonic evolved into a much more complex scenario. Fake Jeff and Withey keep running into each other.
But something happened to Fake Jeff as his friendship with Withey evolved. He found himself tweeting differently.
Where once he didn't worry about what he was putting out on Twitter he became a lot more cautious.
"I try to police it myself cause I know he's not going to say anything." Fake Jeff said.
Even as he watches games, Fake Jeff can't get into his normal mind-set. He's too worried about watching his friend play. When Kansas went to double overtime against Oklahoma State, Fake Jeff couldn't even look at Twitter.
"It is really weird," Withey said of his friendship. "When I first met him I thought I wouldn't like the guy. I thought he perceived me the wrong way. I had to lighten up a little bit. As I got to know who he was I definitely trusted him."
Perhaps it's Fake Jeff who should be less trusting of Withey. Now that he knows his identity, it makes it harder for Fake Jeff to reveal himself when he wants to. He knows he won't continue tweeting when Withey leaves Kansas, but his grand finale is still a mystery.
For now, there's just a barrage of close calls. Fortunately forFake Jeff, Withey's parents never found out who they were sitting next to while their son dominated Colorado. AlthoughWithey isn't sure it would have mattered.
"She would be shocked." Withey said of his mom's probable reaction. "I don't think she would take it too serious. She'd probably just hit him on the shoulder and ask why he didn't tell her earlier."
Edited by Brian Sisk
Withey hugs coach Kurtis Townsend as he makes his way to the bench during the game against West Virginia.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior center Jeff Withey goes for the shot during the first half of the match against TCU Saturday afternoon Feb. 23 at Allen Fieldhouse. Withey scored 18 total points with six rebounds and two blocks contributing in Kansas' 74-48 defeat against the Horned Frogs.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Senior guard Travis Releford and Withey high five as the come off the court with five minutes left in the game during the game against West Virginia on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks defeated the Mountaineers 91-65. Releford and Withey scored 20 points combined.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
in Feb. 23
lef Withey drives the ball toward the basket during the first half of the match against TCU on Feb. 23.
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