Wayne Rooney Twitter battle has people shaking their heads in approval and disapproval

(CBS/ What's Trending) - Wayne Rooney is in more hot water this morning after letting loose online. Rooney, fresh after winning the Premier League last weekend with Manchester United, threatened a Liverpool fan yesterday via Twitter after banter between the two got out of control.

Rooney, who has not been a member of the site for long but has already amassed over 570,000 followers, took offense when Liverpool fan @sam_oldham_LFC (whose account has now been deleted) called the England striker a "fat w----" and also tweeted "smash ya head in with a pitchin wedge." Rooney took this to heart and responded with a tirade of his own. (Well, at first, showing that he still needs to get a hang of Twitter, he tweeted angry comments at himself. He eventually figured out how to direct it at the appropriate parties.)

Wayne tried to calm to situation with "Ha ha bit of banter and people go nuts chill all people," but it has still left many fans and bloggers unhappy about the outburst.

A spokesperson for Wayne Rooney said: "As is made clear in the tweets, this whole exchange is banter. There is no suggestion, nor is there any intention of a suggestion, of a real fight."

This is just another black mark against Rooney's CV. Back in April, Rooney was fined and banned for two matches after swearing while looking at a live video camera after scoring a hat-trick against West Ham.

Although we don't condone violence or threatening behavior of any kind, this is yet another example of a celebrity "biting" back at fans following abuse. It seems sports stars receive most from opposing fans, with many players and family members of players shutting down Twitter accounts after torrents of abuse and swearing from other users.

What do you think? Was Rooney right to bite back? Should people in the public eye show more restraint when they are being watched by millions?