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Contract negotiation has come a long way with the advent of technology.
When it got out last week that theBears might be concerned about the durability of Matt Forte's knees, many people thought it made sense. You're talking about a player who had knee issues in college, played most of his sophomore year on a bad wheel, and was knocked out of the last quarter of his 4th season with knee injuries.
Well, in a way that probably wasn't even thought of 25 years ago, Matt Forte found a way to strike out at those rumors. He used, of course, twitvid. But is that a great idea from his standpoint?
This is the video that Forte posted in the following tweet:
100Lbs sled up hill i think my knee will be ok RT @nfl: Bears concerned with Matt Forte's knees:http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8295e27b/article/chicago-bears-have-durability-concerns-over-matt-forte?campaign=Twitter_atl_hanzus http://twitvid.com/OPVBZ
Now, it's one thing to question the fairly obvious. I mean, what, exactly, are we supposed to take from a 7 second video of someone pulling a sled (and not even super quickly, at that) in a completely controlled situation that involves none of the following:
- Quick cuts
- Gear
- A football
- Linebackers
This video showcases durability and long-term health in much the same way that Nick Fairley exhibits common sense. (It doesn't) But all that aside, is this what you should do?
Does this engender positive goodwill with the fans, whom it's nice to have on the side of the player? Or does it make you look thin-skinned?
Personally, I'm thinking it means the latter. Particularly when you're involved in a position where not only is your salary public knowledge, but many aspects of your contract negotiation are, as well. You're a public figure, and sometimes negative things will be said about you. To quickly post a video that is your supposed proof, when not necessarily strongly convincing, shows that you're being reactive instead of proactive to the situation. You're in a world where you have almost no ground to take your stand on, and you have to pick your moments and your battles carefully.
What do you think? Is this a case where Forte should've cooled off a bit before going to Twitter, or is it a smart move on his part to make his comment quickly?