Twitter War Strikes Packers

Added on Jan 31, 2011 by Scott in

Super Bowl

Who knew social networking could become such a catalyst for controversy? Well, that pesky Twitter has once again sparked a powder keg — this time with the Super Bowl bound Green Bay Packers. At the center of this maelstrom is injured linebacker Nick Barnett, who hasn’t played since Week 4 after being placed on IR due to a wrist ailment. Evidently Barnett took umbrage over comments made by quarterback Aaron Rodgers regarding where some players choose to rehab while on IR. All this comes on the heels of last week’s team photo debacle, which also involved injured players such as Barnett.

Rodgers questioned why certain teammates elected to rehab away from the Packers facility. This drew the ire of Barnett, who then took to Twitter to defend himself and others:

“Looks like people have something to say about where some people choose to do there rehab,” Barnett wrote. “Try rehabing with 16 others then 53 more. Doubt you get the full attention needed.. It’s easy to speak about others when you are not in their position.. Talk about ‘union’ ha.”

Of course, Barnett later “tweeted” an obligatory apology and informed all his followers he would be tweeting no more. However, the damage had been done. Many moons ago, before the days of the internet and Twitter, it would be next to impossible for an injured player thousands of miles away from the team to incite a controversy, unless he shot his mouth of to some reporter.

Nowadays, a tweet or a text or a Facebook message is all it takes to ignite a storm of distraction and unwanted attention. Not to mention, the lead-up to the Super Bowl is the absolute worst possible time to drop fodder into the laps of a story-starved media.

We’re reaching a point where teams might be forced to ban the usage of social media devices like Twitter, if for no other reason than to remove the temptation of typing something regrettable. All it takes is one innocuous comment, joke or observation and within minutes it can become front-page news on sports sites and blogs.

Take Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew for instance. He received death threats after tweeting his opinion on Jay Cutler’s knee during the NFC Championship. Players have to utilize better judgment or they run the risk of being tossed on the coals by fans and media alike. Jones-Drew may have been kidding, but most people don’t comprehend sarcasm, especially when it’s delivered in written form.

The Barnett/Rodgers issue will probably blow over between now and Sunday, but it serves as a sterling example of the pitfalls faced by those who play professional sports in the 21st century. Once untouchable by most but a select few, modern technology has brought superstar athletes closer to the fans. For the most part, there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, players are people too. However, right or wrong, those in the public eye are held to a higher standard.

To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question all athletes should be asking themselves. In light of recent events, the answer should be obvious.

Source: NFL.com