Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte is obviously ticked
that the Bears have once again decided to pay another running back before they
pay him for the contributions he has made to the team. The team signed
running back Michael Bush who was a backup for the Oakland Raiders last season.
Bush ran for 977 yards and seven touchdowns last season and took
over for starter Darren McFadden after McFadden’s season was ended by a foot
injury.
The Raiders opted not to resign Bush who signed with the
Bears for four years and $14 million. Forte immediately went to Twitter to
express his displeasure with Bush’s signing. Forte first tweeted:
There's only so many times a man that has done everything he's been asked to do can be disrespected! Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last....He went to Twitter again saying:
— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012
for the record I'm not mad at the signing of another running back. This is 4th time that's happened. I embrace competition as well as helpAnd Tweeted once more saying:
— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012
But as for not taking care of ur own and undervaluing a player under his market value is another story! #twitterrant
— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012
Forte has stated that his Twitter rants were more the result
of his frustration with the Bears organization and that he has no problem with
Bush getting paid but Bush’s signing was clearly the action that sparked his
outrage.
The Bears tabbed Forte with the franchise tag before the
start of free agency which means that he will make $7.75 million this season
but Forte was looking for a long-term contract. The two sides are still pretty
far apart which may be one of the reasons the Bears signed Bush.
Forte missed the last four games of the 2011 season with an
injury. The Bears had already lost quarterback Jay Cutler for the year so
they were sunk after losing Forte also. The Bears lost three of their last four
games causing them to miss the playoffs.
Forte hadn’t missed a
regular season game before last year and was having his most productive
season to date before his injury. Other NFL players have shown him support in
his quest for a new contract including Forte’s former teammate tight end Greg
Olsen.
If the Bears believe that Forte’s asking price is too high
they may ship him off to a team willing to pay him. This could definitely be
the case if Forte decides to mount a hold out until his salary demands are met.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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