One of the players we’ve gotten to know a little bit through Twitter is Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell.
Since Mitchell follows the PFT Twitter feed, he noticed our story regarding the $2,500 fine imposed by the Chargers against cornerback Antonio Cromartie for complaining about the quality of the food at the team’s training camp.
And Mitchell wasn’t pleased with the Chargers for fining Cromartie for not being pleased with the food.
Here’s Mitchell’s multi-tweet response: “Players play this game. They’re tryin to get us to play for free. If we
want to complain about some sh!t then let us b. We’re just like any
other person workin. If u don’t like somethin I’m sure you’ll
complain. Our voice is our rite.
“It’s bullsh!t that the league is
scared of twitter. We have opinions. We sit back and listen to all
the bullsh!t media, coaches and fans have to say, so if the chargers
food sucks. It sucks. Please! B mad at real sh!t.”
So, basically, look for the next story to be the Bills and/or the NFL fining Mitchell.
more evidence on how the NFL is communist.
Besides the “play for free” part, I agree with him.
lmao that the chargers food sucks
Dear Kawika,
How does my azz taste?
Signed,
The Fine
I mean really, how retarded are these players anyway. You think it’s okay to share “negative opinions” about your employer with the world?
Are these guys idiots or what?
Let see – I am working for a company, that pays me and provides benefits for me and my family. I am at a meeting and they feed us lunch. Okay, the lunch sucks! So lets see what do I do, hmmmmmmmn. Option #1 – I can privately pull my boss aside and mention it to him. Option#2 – I decide to tweet this information to the whole friggin world?
Am I entitled to my opinion – yes. But it’s all about how you deliver the message. Boy some of these players are dumbells man.
I am one of the fans that feel the players deserve the money they get. They lay themselves out there every Sunday and put themselves through about 2-3 car wrecks on the field a week.
However, Mitchell saying they are trying to get us to play for free is another reason to keep some of these fools off of Twitter.
That has to be one of the most detached, ignorant comments I’ve heard a player make since Ochocinco opened his mouth…
Poor Mitchell, playing the game almost for free! How does he get by? Way to throw “the fans” in there as part of the BS you are forced to listen to. I’m guessing there won’t be many of those cheering for you after this.
i agree with him. let the players voice their opinion. As long as they do not complain about the organization (ie: teammates, coaches, owners, etc..) They should be able to tweet about “man practice sucked today” or … “the food tasted bad”. Whats the big deal? NFL is trying to protect its image, and they need to allow the players’ right to speak.
Somebody needs to explain to Mitchell that Cromartie didn’t get fined for complaining about the food. He got fined for violating a team rule.
Mitchell should ask himself why teams should allow players to complain about their teams to the media. How is that productive for the team?
Players can complain all they want, just not where they might always want to. If Mitchell can’t understand how that helps keep a team together and winning then I can’t imagine him being that intelligent a football player.
If you think the Bills are fining him you are crazy.
1.Ralph Wilson hates Spanos and AJ Smith so I am sure he is just fine with what Mitchell wrote.
2. Dick Jauron is the softest coach in the league
3. Their GM is a marketing guy and he understands twitter and how it can be used to market a product.
4.Bills have great food for their players.
@Devils Advocate:
That doesnt give your company a right to fine you for your opinion. Its called freedom.
Lousy food? Twitter fines?
It could be worse…
You could have traded away your best player for Kyle Orton and a couple squandered picks.
Or have your top WR heading to the “slammer”.
Or have your QB facing civil charges for rape.
Or have your franchise in the evil clutches of Favre’s womanly indecision.
Or be team mates with Vick.
Or T.O. (oh, wait…)
Pro athletes should never, ever, ever complain about their money, so I agree with Villain, he loses me with the whole ‘play for free’ garbage. Other than that, my only gripe with Twitter is it exposes us to Ochocinco more.
@Devils Advocate:
I could not agree more. Says a lot about a man and how he handles his business when he can’t go right to the source of a problem and address the issue. Got to blast it out there for everyone else to see since he is not man enough / adult enough to complain to someone who can fix it. Grow up and show some respect for the people who make your lifestyle possible. Whaaaaaaaa, I don’t like the food here. At least you got food, bitch. We are in a recession.
Stupidity marches onwards.
“Mitchell chased the money, and landed a multi-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. The deal is for $17.5 million over five years, with a $3.5 million signing bonus.”
Hey A-HOLE, work for nothing ? GFY. Since you’re obviously too stupid to do mathematics let me help you. Your signing bonus alone is the equivalent of 70 years work at 50k a year, which would be considered a decent salary for most people, and far more than most people around the world are paid. If you are a 20k a year worker that’s its the equivalent of 175 years work.
Mitchell is just another overpaid, over-privileged sh*thead player. STFU you walking bag of used douche juice.
@devils advocate- you said it man. what is with these guys that they think it is ok that they lambaste their employer in public. what is even more funny is the mention of working for free. normal corporate employees make a twentieth or less as what these guys are making so there should be even more incentive to keep a lid on it. fact is that most of these guys, even though they have “attended” college don’t know their ass from a whole in the ground and are too stupid to realize that what they are doing is wrong. there are the exceptions in the NFL like myron rolle who are extremely intelligent and do not need the nfl and then there is the kawika mitchells of the world who would be doing who knows what without athletics.
Guess I’ll scratch playing for the Chargers off my list of future employers.
Ummm…it’s “hole in the ground” not “whole.” Poor NFL players….having to eat crappy food. Waaa waaaa.
davidHUSKER says:
August 4, 2009 1:56 PM
David -
sorry you dont get it. if I did what he did I would be fired not fined. he is lucky he got fined.
I think it’s hilarious that fans have no sympathy for players, most of whom come from meager beginnings. Fans always side with the owners over the players. The owners are a bunch of silver spoon, aristocrats that a) never played the game b) look at sports 100% as business, with attention only to the bottom line. I guess it’s a lot easier for the average football fan to relate to billionaires over hard working athletes from lower/middle classes.
Yes, players open their mouth and spout off quite frequently, and some individuals, far too often. However, I’d rather the money goto the actual players that play this amazing game, than the fat cat owners who just “use money to make money”…
I was agreeing with him until the play for free part. Oh wait, he said that right away.
What a bitch, making all that money.
Suck it Kawika.
We’re not siding with the owners…we just don’t want to hear some millionaire cry about free food. There are a lot of people on this planet that would take his free crappy food and feel like a millionaire….and full.
Who cares what these guys say about the food?
A few months back PFT reported the story about the Eagles turnstile employee who tweeted or something similar about how the Eagles should not have cut Dawkins.
Both of these comments were completely inconsequential and the reaction has surely done more damage to each of these organisations reputation than the comments themselves.
Neither incident was detrimental to the team.
So you would be fired for complaining about the food at your company’s picnic? or meeting…??
Wow. I mean i get it, if you’re bashing the boss man, or fellow employees. But to get fined/fired in your case, over food. They cant lock the players down. They must give them at least some freedom to voice their concerns and opinions. There is a line, but i feel like the NFL is going to bring that line over to “their” side and not put it in the middle to make it fair.
Tweeting is idiotic unless you’re a business using it for advertising. All other tweeters should be fined, then beaten with a lock-in-a-sock.
Kawika doesn’t have a “rite” to voice his opinion if it violates a team rule. To compensate him for giving up any particular “rite” he gets cash in hand.
That’s part of the employment exchange. It works like that for everybody.
Ridiculous…
Whole thing reminds me of when Warren Sapp complained players were just slaves of the NFL.
We’re just like any other person workin. Come give me a break your not just another worker person you are over paid persons playing a game. Maybe you all should have to pay for your food just like other working people and then you can complain.
Dewey Axewound,
Best player? Best player meaning Jay Cutler? Since when has Cutler won a game for the Broncos? All Cutler does is start pouting matches with anyone who doesn’t claim him to be a god.
Squandered picks? The season hasn’t even started yet.
You are truly one ignorant NFL fan that thinks he knows everything because he’s watched a few football games over the years.
davidHUSKER- Is a company picnic the media? That sounds like an internal event. That’s where those complaints should be limited to. You won’t get fined for bitching to your girlfriend at breakfast about how your team is mistreating you. You will for complaining to the public through twitter, facebook, myspace, ESPN, NFLN.
See the difference?
Al Davis’ 40 Time says:
August 4, 2009 3:40 PM
Dewey Axewound,
Best player? Best player meaning Jay Cutler? Since when has Cutler won a game for the Broncos? All Cutler does is start pouting matches with anyone who doesn’t claim him to be a god.
Squandered picks? The season hasn’t even started yet.
You are truly one ignorant NFL fan that thinks he knows everything because he’s watched a few football games over the years.
___________________________________
bit⋅ter /ˈbɪtər/ [bit-er] adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb, adverb
–adjective
1. having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.
2. producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet, or salt.
3. hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.
4. causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill.
5. characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.
6. hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson.
7. resentful or cynical: bitter words.
8. Al Davis’ 40 Time and most Denver fans
Man, you guys are thick. Kawika Mitchell is not saying that the players DO play for free. He’s making the exaggerated reference that the owners/league want them to play for free to make his point about all the meaningless and overbearing image mongering they are put through on top of the physical sacrifices they make.
And to anyone comparing their job situation, please. I don’t care how you feel about it but all jobs are different and your plight at your job making textiles for export or managing Foot Locker or working at the casino is NOT the same. Stop comparing yourselves to athletes. Two entirely different worlds.
“is NOT the same. Stop comparing yourselves to athletes. Two entirely different worlds”
kurtismantronick that attitude is exactly why these a-holes think they have the right to behave poorly in the first place. You are entirely wrong it is the same. The get paid by an employer, that employer has every right to expect them to meet certain standards if they want to stay employed or suffer no consequences.
kurtismantronik says:
August 4, 2009 5:19 PM
Man, you guys are thick. Kawika Mitchell is not saying that the players DO play for free. He’s making the exaggerated reference that the owners/league want them to play for free to make his point about all the meaningless and overbearing image mongering they are put through on top of the physical sacrifices they make.
And to anyone comparing their job situation, please. I don’t care how you feel about it but all jobs are different and your plight at your job making textiles for export or managing Foot Locker or working at the casino is NOT the same. Stop comparing yourselves to athletes. Two entirely different worlds.
—————————-
Oh, I get it. So they should be able to do whatever they want? Say what they want about their team or the league when they want without repercussions?
Hardly. The NFL is a highly visible entertainment product. If the players portray the NFL or individual NFL teams in a poor light, they will be punished. Either by team or league management or by consumers.
Is anyone here up in arms about Antonio Cromartie complaining about the Chargers’ food? Is anyone deeply offended by his statement? No. It’s Mitchell’s outrage over the fine. Cromartie is probably in the top 0.05% in terms of wage earners in this country, and he’s one of the faces of his team. He should damn well know he can’t badmouth any facet of his team without facing a fine. And this fine is a drop in the bucket for him.
If he really wants to complain about the food, he should complain to team management and the caterers or whoever is preparing the food. If he just wants to bitch and moan in a public forum about a meaningless problem, he should find a way to do it anonymously. Otherwise, expect a fine and be prepared to pay it.
millionaires vs. billionaires, take 2
Are you kidding me these rich punks now the free food is no good
Guess what go do what your cut out for be a gym teacher I hear they have pizza on fridays in the lunch room
As for the idiot in Western NY do you notice how close you are to the CFL?
The Giants dumped you next stop CFL????
See how they feed you and pay you
Dewey Axewound,
Was that a joke? Or did you not actually know the definition?
I’m going with the latter because you seem to be an igornant dumbass. It’s not bitterness, it’s frustration that something in life has failed you so much to be this arrogant and ignorant.
Here we go again, another professional sports player who just doesn’t “get it.” I simply gave an “eye roll” to the comment about “working for free.” As for his whining about a fine, if I go on twitter and bitch about my employer and they see it, I face bigger problems than a simple fine, such as suddenly being unemployed. Another athlete who thinks he is entitled to do and say as he pleases…..
LOL if you don’t understand what “BS” a player has to put up with from fans…look at this page! Most of these comments are exactly that.
Also to those that cannot comprehend the “working for free” comment…take a look at your life. How much do you make? Are you perfectly content when the dude in the next cubicle/office/whatever does the same or even less work than you but makes 10-20 grand a year more than you? Sure, you may only make 75k a year compared to a pro player’s millions, but your lifestyle most likely involves spending most of that 75k a year in bills and entertainment. If you made more, you would spend more too.
The fine is not about the food.
The fine is about making sure ALL the Charger players/coaches/etc. know to be very, very careful about what they post on Twitter.
Should the Chargers wait until someone posts something really damaging before dishing out punishment? Better to be proactive, don’t you think?