Loading ...Besides being a pro quarterback, Chicago Bears Jay Cutler is something else; he’s a punching bag for the media, disgruntled fans, and gloating opponents. Because his performance ratings look a little bit like a line graph of last year’s economy, the twenty-six year old quarterback is taking a lot of heat.
Look at his interceptions for example. Seventeen of his passes have been snagged by the defense in game-changing interceptions. Rather than being a victory card for the Bear’s historically struggling team, Cutler seems to be dragging them down.
And the media is not letting him forget it. He’s “throwing about as many passes to defenders as receivers,” quipped the Boston Herald. Fox’s Jimmy Johnson hails him as “the disappointment of the year.” Even Cutler’s own city paper, the Sun Times wrote, “Cutler is worse than we ever imagined.” The Huffington Post prophesies that Chicagoans are “lighting their torches and calling for crucifixion of Saint Jay Cutler.”
Hold your horses. Jay Cutler isn’t your typical quarterback. While most NFL pros are preoccupied with their game, Jay Cutler has another battle to fight… his diabetes. In April, 2008 Jay found out that he had type 1 diabetes. News like that—an emotional equivalent of a head-on collision with a freight train—has the potential for knocking anyone out of the game.
Not Cutler. He took the news as easily as a receiver takes one of Cutler’s long passes. The season before the diagnosis, he was already grappling with a baffling change in health that involved severe thirst, intense hunger, all-day-long urination, energy-killing fatigue, and rapid weight loss. He would give it his all during the
game, executing passes and plays like any QB worthy of the “pro” moniker.
But, is what’s happening to Cutler’s game right now simply a message to the world that diabetes is real, tough, and has an impact on day-to-day life? Type 1 has changed Cutler’s life in more ways than simply his constant blood-sugar awareness. It has improved his personality. It has helped him become more organized. It has motivated him to generously contribute to Dedicated to Diabetes, a nonprofit organization making a difference in diabetes. Although it may have caused a dent in his career, it’s not going to take him down as a person.
Jay knows what it means to fight…and to fight hard. Unlike the crucifixion prophecy posited by some, it is more likely that Cutler’s interceptions will drop and his stats will rise. Although type 1 can take it out of you, it’s not impossible to rise above it.
In a recent interview, a reporter pointedly asked Cutler:”Would you have benched yourself after those four interceptions?” Cutler’s response reflects not only the mentality of a dedicated athlete, but also the mentality of anyone doing battle with diabetes:”I’m aware of [the problem]…No, I’m not going to bench myself.”
Jay Cutler is a lesson to us all on how to fight the battle…and be a good sport.
By: Daniel Threlfall
