San Francisco 49ers long-snapper Taybor Pepper expressed frustration after losing his verified status on Twitter. With the platform's new verification process requiring users to subscribe to Twitter Blue for $8 per month, Pepper criticized Elon Musk and vowed not to pay. While he called Twitter a "crumby website," he seemed upset about losing credibility due to the change. NBA star LeBron James also declined to pay for verification and a representative confirmed he didn't subscribe. The elimination of legacy checkmarks sparked debate, with some upset and others indifferent.
