Sports

Adventures in Censorship: How to call Jay Cutler a “pussy” without pissing off your readers

Funny story out Chicago yesterday -- especially if, like most Broncos fans, you desperately want Jay Cutler to wind up working as a bouncer at the one strip club of Santa Claus, Indiana. The story went like this: Vikings receiver Bobby Wade went on a podcast in Minnesota, and was...
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Funny story out Chicago yesterday — especially if, like most Broncos fans, you desperately want Jay Cutler to wind up working as a bouncer at the one strip club of Santa Claus, Indiana. The story went like this: Vikings receiver Bobby Wade went on a podcast in Minnesota, and was asked about whether he’d heard anything from his old Bears teammates about Cutler. Wade — who either doesn’t understand how the Internet works or really understands how the Internet works — didn’t go all athlete-sound-bite on the host, but instead ripped off a Made-for-Sports-Bloggers Money Quote:

“Pretty much [Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a pussy for the most part.”

Combining the two things young sports nuts can’t get enough of — and one thing most of them don’t get very much of — the comment sent the Internet’s loins a fluttering, hitting every outlet in the land. Then came the amusing part: Watching how various news outlets handled the word “pussy.” A sampling:

Chicago Tribune: “Pretty much [Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a [bleep] for the most part.”

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Boston Herald: “Pretty much (Urlacher) said Jay Cutler was a (wimp) for the most part.”

Chicago Sun-Times: “Pretty much [Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a [deleted] for the most part.”

CBSSports.com: “Pretty much [Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a [redacted] for the most part.”

Chicago Bears Message Board: “Pretty much [Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a [not a very nice word] for the most part.”

Related

Twincities.com: “Pretty much (Urlacher) said Jay Cutler was a (offensive word) for the most part.”

Deadspin was one of the few outlets to actually use the word, which was really surprising. I thought for sure they’d come up with a more offensive replacement, maybe THROW IT IN ALL CAPS FOR EFFECTS.

But my favorite parenthetical adventure came courtesy of our own Denver Daily News, which … well, just read for yourself:

“Pretty much Urlacher said Jay Cutler was a [cat] for the most part.”

Related

Yes. A cat. I’m sure that’s what Wade meant.

Honestly, I think all of these papers are a bunch of [potty-mouth words]. Contrary to their apparent belief, their readers aren’t a bunch of [bleepity bleeps]. But the Daily News are the biggest [sissy monsters] of them all. [Bleeping] [kitties].

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