By Adam Hoge-
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — At the end of a long day that included blowing a 14-point lead to the Carolina Panthers, Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston went on Twitter and saw an outpouring of criticism from fans.
Instead of “blocking out the noise” — a theme that has developed under head coach Marc Trestman — Houston decided to respond with a series of regrettable tweets that included telling some fans to “eat dirt.”
https://twitter.com/Hupernikao9s/status/518918661151944704
https://twitter.com/Hupernikao9s/status/518919024999407616
https://twitter.com/Hupernikao9s/status/518919890393374720
Given that Houston just signed with the Bears as a free agent and has only played five games in Chicago, Sunday night’s tweets were not exactly the best way to endear himself to a passionate fan base. Wednesday, Houston acknowledged that he shouldn’t have sent out the tweets and revealed that Trestman had a conversation with him about them.
“I was frustrated, you know? Disappointed in some of the things I was reading from the fans and I replied and I should’t have replied,” Houston told 87.7 The Game. “Stuff like that happens so I just gotta move on.”
At his press conference Monday, Trestman had not yet read the tweets, but acknowledged that he frequently talks to his players about ignoring the “Twitter terrorists,” as he put it.
“We talk about it all the time, making sure they take a deep breath, making sure they understand that they’re representing the team,” Trestman said.
Once Trestman had a chance to read Houston’s tweets, he reinforced that message to his new defensive end.
“I appreciate Marc Trestman and he did talk to me about it,” Houston said. “He’s not the type of guy… this isn’t a dictatorship here so he says, ‘You know what you can and can’t tweet,’ and he leaves it at that. He’s not going to be holding guys’ hands. We’re all adults, we’re all responsible and I made those actions on my own.”
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for 87.7 The Game and TheGameChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
