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Danica Patrick stands up to online trolls, in lawsuit regarding social media

By Alex Butler
Danica Patrick before the 23rd Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Bob Ellis/UPI
1 of 3 | Danica Patrick before the 23rd Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Bob Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- As the sting wears off from vicious hits and demoralizing losses, today's athletes also have to deal with the postgame pleasantries of online trolls.

On Friday, some of the best athletes in the world talked back to the haters. Danica Patrick, Michael Phelps, Derek Jeter, Von Miller, and Karl Anthony Towns were part of a video called "Stand Up" on The Players' Tribune.

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"I would like Von Miller to die in a grease fire," Miller says in the video, reiterating what he has been sent on social media.

"I hope Karl Anthony Towns dies in a plane crash," Towns said.

"My hatred for Michael Phelps is rekindled every time someone mentions his name," Phelps said.

"You can tell by the way she talks, she's a class-A [expletive]," Patrick said in the video.

Stewart-Haas Racing filed a breach of contract lawsuit Friday against Patrick's sponsor, Nature's Bakery. Her racing team is seeking $31.7 million in actual damages and interest.

Social media also comes into play with this lawsuit, as Nature's Bakery alleges that Patrick endorsed "competing products and did not use her social media presence enough to promote Nature's Bakery," according to NBC Sports' Dustin Long.

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Patrick enters the 2017 NASCAR season with Ford as her new manufacturer. She hasn't won a NASCAR Cup race in 154 career starts. She also hasn't placed in the top-5 of a race yet.

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