It may take more than an apology from TSN to satisfy Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf and his wife, Elisha Cuthbert.

So says the lawyer representing the Leafs players and actress who are threatening a lawsuit against the Canadian sports network for a distasteful tweet that made it on-screen during trade-deadline day coverage on Monday.

“When this occurred (Lupul, Phaneuf and Cuthbert) were humiliated, embarrassed and outraged,” Vancouver-based lawyer Peter Gall told the Toronto Sun in a telephone interview on Tuesday night.

“It’s one thing for some guy with nothing to do sitting around in his basement making up something. It’s another thing to have it rebroadcast on a leading TV sports channel, which gives it some credibility.

“It’s too much for them to take.”

In its statement, the firm representing the trio demanded an apology from TSN and “a significant amount of damages to each of our clients” for the tweet, which ran in a crawl on the bottom of the screen.

TSN responded to the first demand with prominent network host James Duthie reading a prepared statement on its Sportscentre program and again on the pre-game show prior to Tuesday’s game in Florida.

“In spite of TSN’s protocols to prevent unfounded and inappropriate tweets from making it to air, a false and inappropriate tweet was allowed to run,” Duthie read. “There was no basis for the allegation made in the tweet.”

Duthie went on to say the network “unreservedly apologizes” to the three involved, which lawyer Gall said was a start.

“From my perspective, the apology is great,” Gall said. “I will talk to Joffrey, Elisha and Dion further about what more needs to be done to reduce and eliminate the harm that has been suffered by them.”

Adding to the drama of the situation is the fact that the parent company of TSN, Bell, is the co-owner of the Leafs and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.

Gall said his clients may still seek “a significant amount” of financial damages from the network, including the possibility of requesting that the network make a generous donation to charity.

“We’re going to talk to TSN about what would be appropriate,” Gall said. “(A charitable donation) is something that (might appeal) to Joffrey, Dion and Elisha.”

The trio are also seeking damages from the person who allegedly wrote the insinuating tweet that started the debacle, Anthony Adragna.

Sources confirmed to the Toronto Sun that Leafs management were incensed the tweet made it to air, leading to some heated exchanges with TSN on Monday. Gall spoke with all three clients and it was decided to proceed with a potential lawsuit over what he is calling a “false and defamatory quote” regarding Lupul and Cuthbert.

On Tuesday morning, both Phaneuf and Lupul declined to talk to reporters in Florida following the team’s game-day morning skate. Later Lupul offered his own Tweet: “Get familiar with #nocomment” and according to those in Florida, several Leafs players were outraged.

“They were devastated, they were truly harmed and hurt by this,” Gall said of his clients. “It had a really significant and detrimental impact. They thought it was an outrage that it had reached this point.”

rob.longley@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/longleysunsport