Having spent a little bit of time in Cleveland, I'm kind of with Chris Cooley on this one. What he wrote (apart from the unnecessarily salty language) wasn't that bad, and the fact that he got profane responses from Clevelanders speaks more to a collective inferiority complex on their part. Maybe it has something to do with losing their team to Baltimore a decade or so ago. Or replacing it with one that kind of stinks.Still, it's not a fantastic move on the part of a player who might end up in a city to go to war with the fans in that city. And it makes you wonder how many more incidents like this we can expect with all of these athletes blogging and tweeting and doing all of this direct-fan-communication stuff that's all the rage these days.
For the most part, these guys are trained to block, tackle, catch and run -- not to express themselves in words. (Exhibit A: Marshawn Lynch) This kind of "misunderstanding" is bound to happen when a guy wakes up in the morning, finds out he's been talked about in a trade, and decides to blog about it off the top of his head.
The Clevelanders who reacted so badly to Cooley's crack were obviously overreacting, but it might be good, every once in a while, for one of these players to get a lesson that this job isn't as easy as it looks either.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-25-2009 @ 11:56AM
Adam said...
Cooooooooooley
Ok, maybe he's not the best writer in the world, but he's a fun guy to have on the team, and a great player. Everyone would be pissed if he got shipped to Cleveland or anywhere else.
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3-25-2009 @ 12:27PM
checka624 said...
Cooley isnt going anywhere, the browns WISH. Cooley's cap hit would be SOOOO big not it could almost ruin the team single-handed. He's not going anywhereeeeeeee
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3-25-2009 @ 12:51PM
Mr.G said...
Sure,the Browns are not very good right now,but I've been to the Washington DC area a few times,and Cleveland many times.Cleveland is a far better place than that.
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4-10-2009 @ 7:11PM
HEADHAWG said...
mr.G.,Iwas born and raised in D.C.,as was my mother born and raised in the mistake by the lake.Not only is D.C. a vastly superior city to either live or visit,Redskin's fans are well known as some of the classiest in the NFL,Browns fans are SO stupid they treat visiting fans to their depressed ,broke ass city as rudely and crudely as possible.They should be hugging and buying beers for anyone who would visit and spend money there .After going to a couple Browns games and doing my part to stimulate their lousy economy, I can say if it weren't for family I would never return. D.C.Is one of the most historic and cultural cities we have.
3-25-2009 @ 5:00PM
Chris Cooley said...
It wasn't "off the top of my head." But thanks for writing. I guess when you need content it is easier to write about someone else's problem's right?
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3-25-2009 @ 6:19PM
Adam said...
Welcome to the internets, Chris. Schadenfreude to the max.
And if I might add, when you get your first touchdown, do that thing Ovechkin did with his stick on his 50th with the ball. That'd be sweet.
3-25-2009 @ 5:11PM
skatingbob said...
OK. Let me get this straight. Fanhouse is accusing someone else of writing "off the top of their head"? That's all these so called "writers" do. There was absoutely no NEWS in this story. Personally I feel stupider for reading Graziano's drivel. Overall I agree with Chris Cooley himself up there at post number 4.
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3-25-2009 @ 6:29PM
billy said...
this is why you're writing at fanhouse and not something at matters. One of the worst sports editorials i've ever read. But, I guess that should be expected from someone with a room temperature IQ
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3-26-2009 @ 11:11AM
cahillio said...
Hey Cooley, Im from cleveland and a browns fan..and i wouldnt want some dude with such a little penis on my team. I really hope we play the skins in the next couple of years...You will get a warm welcome here im sure. You dont mess with Cleveland fans, thats just how it is. Ask David Wells.
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3-26-2009 @ 11:32AM
ettev6791 said...
Cleveland sucks. You all dont deserve Cooley, or a team for that matter they should take the franchise away from u all once again.
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3-28-2009 @ 7:17PM
THEMADROD said...
you think that washington is good?you have the players but the team just sucks
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3-31-2009 @ 11:16AM
cahillio said...
Hey ettev6791>>Cleveland doesnt deserve a team? Thank you for proving you are a complete moron. The city that is responsible for Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Otto Graham and is in the top 5 for players in the Hall of Fame doesnt deserve a team? That stadium stays full no matter how bad that team is or how cold it is...This city deserves a team more than any in the country. The game of pro football is credited with starting no more than 30 miles from Cleveland(You might have heard of the Hall of Fame in Canton)I can think of plenty of other cities that dont deserve teams (Jacksonville, Charlotte, Nashville)...You are have less intelligence than my shoe laces
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4-10-2009 @ 7:17PM
HEADHAWG said...
If this really is cooley,I hope you have your lap top and are on the crapper.that's the only time you should waste reading this .go ahead and install the 15 person hot tub,you will be in VA.for a while " CAREER REDSKIN ".will look good on the bust in Canton
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