Jay Cutler Injury: The Cost of Irresponsible Journalism

One of the first principles aspiring journalists learn when they take their first 101 class is this.  You have to tell the truth. 

Several well-respected scribes and analysts have chosen to ignore this in regards to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s injury during the NFC Championship game. 

Misrepresenting the facts is not only irresponsible, but dangerous.

Jason Whitlock, a columnist with Fox Sports, wrote:

“In the biggest game of his career, shortly after playing 30 minutes of awful football, Cutler laid down on the Bears and the city of Chicago.  Hiding behind a knee injury he tapped out…I don’t need an MRI to confirm King Cutler quit.”

The blatant misinformation in this quote along with Whitlock’s unwillingness to consider scientific evidence to the contrary is disturbing and brings his credibility into question.

Cutler injured his knee near the end of the first half.  Against the advice of doctors, he returned to the field for one series in the second half.  Then he was pulled from the game. 

The Bears listed his return as questionable.  Cutler remained on the sideline in uniform and walked with a slight limp.  Fox’s unwillingness to try and replay the suspected play that caused the injury along with their shots of Cutler’s grimacing brought doubts about the seriousness of his injury.

An MRI confirmed Cutler sustained a Grade II tear to his MCL.  This type of injury makes it impossible to pivot, which severely limits mobility.

The facts state that Cutler did not quit.  The facts state that Cutler did not leave the game by choice.  The facts state he suffered a legitimate injury. 

Whitlock defended his position in a discussion with Chicago sports radio show hosts Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein on 670am The Score.  He suggested that teams lie about injuries, and the MRI results cannot be trusted.

Relying on conspiracy theories to defend a flawed position is just as bad as the original lie itself.

As this story unfolded, several players, writers and analysts chimed in.  Deion Sanders, along with others, discussed the nature of perception and reality.  As an analyst, Sanders must clarify what is reality and what is perception. 

The fact that Cutler suffered an injury is not debatable.  That is reality. 

Sanders, a defensive back who refused to tackle, questioned another player’s toughness.  That’s a fact. 

All this leads to dangerous misconceptions and evaluations of players throughout the league. 

Ben Roethlisberger earned a six-game suspension at the beginning of the season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after allegations of sexual assault surfaced.  The suspension was later reduced to four.

Since his return to the playing field, we constantly hear about the road to redemption for the Steelers quarterback. 

Why is Roethlisberger portrayed as a victim after putting himself in these awful situations, while Cutler gets vilified for being a sourpuss?

In all fairness, the accusations against him were dropped, but his place as heavy hammer in the toolbox remains well documented. 

Cutler may not be better than Ben in that regard, but at least he keeps his hands to himself.