November 8th: Martellus Bennett gets cut by the Packers after prematurely announcing a potential retirement at the end of the first year of a three year deal...
November 9th: The New England Patriots claim Martellus Bennett, who - by his own declaration - is damaged beyond repair...
November 10th: Martellus Bennett goes scorched earth on members of the organization that "strongly suggested" he play through an injury that "required surgery", while his former teammates all-but-say he's full of shit...
— Jordy Nelson (@JordyRNelson) November 10, 2017
November 13th: Martellus Bennett plays for the New England Patriots...
Hand up. I initially gave Martellus Bennett the benefit of the doubt when the enigmatic tight end who had been all-but-diagnosed with a case of the dropsies ended up on the waiver wire for "failing to disclose an injury". I will say that the decision to side with the player seemed to make sense given the inherent frugality of NFL franchises and the fact that said player was unperforming a long-term deal that the Packers would have been smart (albeit scummy) to get out from under by any means necessary. Unfortunately for me, it appears that Martellus Bennett is the exception to the rule that in professional football the employer is generally more sheisty than the employee. Both his words and his actions since threatening both season-ending surgery and an early retirement en immediate route to the New England Patriots active roster have made him look like anything but a victim. Some of those defenses of Dr. McKenzie came from players that dealt with far more severe injuries as far more important pieces to the Green Bay Packers. Therefore, it's probably fair to say Martellus Bennett is some combination of a habitual liar, a shitty teammate, and an insufferable asshole who selfishly sullied the good name of a trusted medical professional. That said, I sort of respect him for deciding that getting himself onto a contending team whose starting quarterback isn't hurt was worth the entirety of his reputation, as well as whatever future guaranteed earnings he stood to make before turning himself into a unreliable pariah. I don't respect that he's still lying about it by pretending the Patriots' interest was some stunning development that changed both his mind and his medical records, but as far as somehow getting the upper hand on a league that's rules its players with iron fists? It's a pretty impressive feat. It might seem a hell of a lot less impressive if the Packers recoup some of the millions they paid him due to his nonsensical, "coulda, woulda, shoulda"-style explanation for why he was healthy enough to suit up in New England days after placing his playing career on death's doorstep in Green Bay. After all, that rationale has more holes than a goddamn cheesehead. But hey, that's just the cost of doing unethical business with an entity who is far more proficient in the art.
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