Who knew that through these entire NFL playoffs, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler would be the most talked about player in the league. The fervor and vitriol regarding Cutler leaving the NFC Championship Game is the greatest example of what we have become as a society and the new world we live in.
As a member of the media myself, I see the benefits of Twitter each and every day at work. It is a quick way of getting information out to the public, a way of reporting breaking news and a way of bringing your listeners, viewers and readers up to date on stories your outlet is working on.
Thepresidentcb Asante Samuel
If he was my teammate I would be looking at him sideways.
I could point to numerous examples, but probably one of the most recent was when Jim Harbaugh signed on to coach the 49ers. Adam Schefter from ESPN was the first to report the story on Twitter. Eventually more and more reporters, both local and national, jumped on the story. Soon, it became confirmed he was in Santa Clara and that the team was holding a news conference that afternoon in San Francisco. Finally, terms of the deal were released. Working that afternoon, we were following tweets, calling to confirm the story ourselves and finally able to confirm the news. That can be a typical Twitter-based story.
ddockett DARNELL DOCKETT
If I'm on chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room!#FACT
The social media outlet is also a great way for athletes and celebrities to “become attached” with their fans. Some people have millions of followers and even respond to tweets from their fans. It also gives them an outlet to vent and get their thoughts out in the open to the public immediately, with no editor and no erase button. But that also makes it a dangerous device to use.
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| Photo Credit: John Martinez Paviglia, via Wikimedia Commons |
I will be completely honest; when I watched the NFC Championship Game, I had the same feelings that many people had. Jay Cutler was playing an awful game, reverting back to the “old Jay Cutler,” the guy that took unnecessary chances and seemed to lose all forms of accuracy with the football. He also looked fairly uninterested, almost like he was in a malaise on the sideline. I said it myself on Twitter that I thought he was sending out a horrible vibe with his body language.
DeionSanders DeionSanders
Im telling u in the playoffs u must drag me off the field. All the medicine in pro lockerooms this dude comes out! I apologize bear fans!
When he was taken out of the game, I was shocked. Not having the audio up, I couldn’t hear why he was taken out and what the announcers were saying. But following Twitter that afternoon, he soon became a huge trending topic. Many analysts and media members were quick to point out that they were uncertain of the extent of his injury and waiting for judgement. But that was the vast minority of opinion. Soon enough, Cutler’s NFL brethren started weighing in, bringing his character and toughness into question, many saying they “would have to be taken off in a cart” to leave a championship game and for a lack of a better term, saying he was a “wuss” for leaving.
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| Photo Credit: John Martinez Paviglia, via Wikimedia Commons |
As the game continued and third string quarterback Caleb Hanie entered, the bashing continued. Every time the cameras panned to Cutler on the sidelines or bench, more and more tweets came in, seemingly getting more and more vicious in nature. The game finally ended and despite an impressive comeback, the Packers ended up winning. The tweets continued and it seemed the whole world was piling on. It was very interesting to me that the Bears almost to a man stood behind Cutler, praising his toughness and leadership for the entire season. During his post game comments, Cutler himself said he had “no comment” when asked if he knew how many players came to criticize him during the game. But this was just the beginning of the saga.
Jones_Drew32 Maurice Jones-Drew
All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee... I played the whole season on one...
When the team conducted an MRI on Cutler’s knee, they found he had a sprained MCL in his plant leg, an injury that many doctors have said would likely keep a player out for 2-4 weeks. Many people withdrew their comments, apologized for their rush to judgement and some of his character was restored. But even two weeks later, the articles continue and many players and analysts are still outspoken about the decision to leave the game.
kerryrhodes Kerry Rhodes
Cmon cutler u have to come back. This is the NFC championship if u didn't know!
First off, Jay Cutler has never been a “media star” like a lot of other quarterbacks in the league. He doesn’t do a bunch of commercials, seems to be uninterested in doing interviews and doesn’t put himself out there to be the designated “golden child.” Many observers have characterized him as being too cocky and arrogant, spoiled and a whiner and not a true star or leader. The sad thing is most of these people in the media or players in the league may have never had a conversation with the man himself. I’m the first to admit, I have never met Cutler. I don’t know what he’s like when he’s on or off the field. And because of that, that really gives me no right to judge his character and him as a person. The “character assassinations” taking place on Twitter and in the media are to me a complete lack of journalistic integrity and for the players, a knee-jerk reaction that they will never be able to take back. All of these guys who piled on, where were they when Cutler was leading his team to the playoffs playing behind one of the most porous offensive lines all year (sacked 52 times, tops in the league). Or when he was leading comebacks after being sacked five times in a game. Or when he led the Bears to a division title when many pundits picked them to finish last in their division. I never heard much praise for the great season the team had or for how well Cutler played this season.
SeaHawk59 Aaron Curry
You dont not play in the NFC championship game cuz your knee hurt, only way I'd come out is if my knee is jus shattered
Honestly, I don’t think you can ever question a man’s heart and leadership from the outside looking in. Unless you are there with him each day, in the huddle or on the sideline, how would you know anything about his character? Was he supposed to shoot himself up with painkilling medicine (note: there are stories that he did indeed take painkilling shot at halftime). Or maybe put on a brace and gut things out? Has anyone asked the question that maybe the team as a whole knew how much pain he was in, how much he would struggle to perform and the team would more than likely have a better chance of winning with a backup in the game? Because listening to all “the pundits,” it seems that all that matters, winning and not worrying about your future health.
markschlereth mark schlereth
As a guy how had 20 knee surgeries you'd have to drag me out on a stretcher to Leave a championship game! #justsaying
I will not claim to know how much pain many of these athletes are in when they compete. Many take painkillers or shoot themselves up just to attempt to play. While that may seem courageous and valiant, we rarely hear the stories in the media about how those same athletes two or three years later become addicted to painkillers because that’s the only way they can cope with the numbing pain. Or how they have debilitating injuries after their playing days are over because they tried one too many times to gut it out. Or how they can’t really live a normal life when they are retired because of their health. It’s a major problem that sadly goes underreported in the world of sports.
DBrooks55 Derrick Brooks
BEARS fans I am so SORRY, I have to be crawling and cant get up to come off field,Josh Freeman would not come out, MEDS ARE AVAILABLE
Playing in pain or “laying it all out on the line” does not make an athlete a better leader or a better teammate. It does not make that person more courageous or have a bigger heart. It’s just something that happens. But we in the media need to stop commending people for these so-called “no guts, no glory” acts. Glorifying things in the media, especially on the field of play, has become too much of a cliche.
RaheemBrock Raheem Brock
Cutler...wut a sissy! This is the NFC Championship game! Guaranteed if it was brett farve..he would still be in the game!
My opinion on Jay Cutler. I think he’s a pretty damn good quarterback. I think he was put in an unenviable position by his team (why were there no reports of his injury other than that it was his knee), the TV crew that worked the game (you have two sideline reporters and can’t tell us what is happening with one of the two starting quarterbacks) and the media and players in general (immediate comparisons to Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers and others playing with injuries were unwarranted). Absolutely no one was in the position he was in and no one knows what doctors and the team told him about his injury. No one knew what kind of pain he was in. And no one knows if he really wanted to try to go back in, but the team wouldn’t let him. I hope in the future, we are not so quick to judge and let things play out before attempting to destroy someone’s character. Because that is OUR responsibility.
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