Donovan McNabb saw what happened to Jay Cutler during the NFC championship game, and didn't like it. As another quarterback who has struggled with injuries, McNabb was not pleased with the way his colleagues jumped all over Cutler. His solution? Athletes should just not use the popular social networking site.
McNabb's argument is correct if you belong to the shoot-the-messenger camp. Obviously, Twitter is to blame for the lack of decorum and good judgment exhibited by players who decided to rip on Cutler well before they knew what sort of injury the QB had sustained. It's Twitter's fault that the 'fraternity' that McNabb spoke of fell apart with one knee injury.
Except, it's not, and blaming Twitter for bad behavior is roughly akin to blaming a car for drunk driving. Players have used Twitter to open up a line of communication with fans that could happen in very few other situations. It allows players to promote their charitable efforts, show off their kids, and just show off their human sides in a way that was quite difficult before they started using the site.
But Twitter's a tool for players to use. If they don't know how to keep their mouths shut, that will come through on Twitter. If it weren't for Twitter, the players who made judged Cutler would have done it anyway. They just would have just used a different medium.
