Packers Players Going Off Twitter En Masse? It's a Possibility, Says Crabtree

Tight end Tom Crabtree is curtailing his social media usage and thinks his teammates will join him.

Do you enjoy seeing the stream of consciousness from quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Twitter?

Have you chuckled at the banter of jokester guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang on the social media platform?

Do you eavesdrop on the unfiltered musings from tight end Jermichael Finley just to see what he writes next?

Enjoy it while you can, because very soon, fans may be seeing a lot less from their favorite Packers players on Twitter, according to tight end Tom Crabtree who's going through his own self-imposed hiatus.

"I was kind of throwing this idea out in the locker room or whatever, and it sounds like there's a few guys that will do the same thing, just shut it down," said Crabtree in an interview with Cheesehead TV.

Crabtree doesn't want to be mistaken. He loves connecting with fans on Twitter and takes pleasure in its ability to provide him with a cheap laugh. But he also thinks there are times where it can be counterproductive.

What he doesn't enjoy are the Monday morning quarterbacks who think they can "coach him up." At times it can be an unnecessary source of stress during the season, but it's also one that's easily avoidable.

All he has to do is have the willpower to stop.

"We'll probably go as far as just deleting Twitter off of our phones altogether during the season so there's no temptation, because it can be addicting," said Crabtree who has a cult-like following of over 45,000 on Twitter.

The third-year tight end that won a Super Bowl ring with the Packers in 2010 says it's his own personal decision to stop using Twitter. The players haven't talked about it as a team, nor have the coaches addressed it with them.

One common theme that seemed to be popping up in his conversations with teammates, however, was how negative the feedback can be during the season.

As a result, Crabtree doesn't anticipate so much as looking through his mentions column on Twitter as a way of seeing what people are saying about him. He thinks time away from social media will help keep him on top of his game.

"I think it's a good way to keep a positive mental outlook, and that's a huge part of what we do," said Crabtree. "You have to be on top of your game mentally as much as physically."

It's not exactly an original idea. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has followed his own strict regimen of Twitter usage. For the past two years, the reigning NFL MVP halted his online postings once training camp began and wouldn't resume until the season was over.

Crabtree admits thoughts of his signal caller crossed his mind when making his own personal choice.

"The guy has gone out and had two of the best years a quarterback has had in this league, so it can't be all that bad a decision," said Crabtree.

While Crabtree expects to curtail his Twitter usage, he's left himself a caveat to add to the greater good. He feels it's important to give back to the community, so he's allowing himself the flexibility to post about his charity efforts as they arise.

The tight end also will also be a host on "Clubhouse Live" this year, an online streaming Packers talk show presented by the Appleton Post-Crescent held live at the Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill in Appleton every week of the NFL season. So Crabtree wants to be able to get word out to fans whether they choose to view the show virtually or live in person.

Other than that, Crabtree sees a major reduction in his Twitter habits and thinks teammates will follow.

"It's just one less thing to have in your ear," said Crabtree.

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Comments (22)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Colleen's picture

July 17, 2012 at 09:59 am

Josh Sitton tweeted me last night that he's not quitting Twitter for the season. We'll see if that holds true.

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DirectingTitan's picture

July 17, 2012 at 09:59 am

Having seen some of the messages they receive, I can't say I blame them.

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JohnRehor's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:06 am

Love the interaction with the players, but I'll take another Super Bowl win over interacting with the Packers on Twitter. Pretty sure they feel the same way

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packsmack25's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:08 am

Finley tried, and can't. Barnett "quit twitter" like 4 times as a Packer. This too shall pass. It's too bad that Crabtree is leaving though. He's a funny dude, and I would probably follow him if he wasn't in the NFL.

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Jamie's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:10 am

Three points:

1. Don't blame them. Too many idiots and jerks on twitter. If I were them, I'd have cussed out half of twitter by now.

2. Crabtree is the most overrated follow in the history of Twitter, followed closely by Jason Wilde, and Rodgers isn't far behind in third. I like Crabtree and Rodgers in general, but they're awfully lame on Twitter. They try waaaay too hard to be funny/clever.

3. Sitton is a solid follow.

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Evan's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:12 am

Couldn't disagree more about Crabtree. That guy is genuinely funny, interacts with fans and doesn't filter his opinions.

Sitton and Lang's back and forth can be amusing too, but pretty much every other Packer posts the same inane inspirational crap.

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Tone's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:28 am

What that guy said. ^

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Jer's picture

July 17, 2012 at 11:05 am

+1

I think I follow less than a dozen Packers players, because most of them are not very interesting. Crabtree of course is a huge exception. The guys on the offensive line are fun, too. Matthews and Rodgers have their moments, but they tweet so infrequently.

But it really is a shame that the internet "tough guys" spoil it for everybody. Like if we cuss them out they're going to play better or something. I guess everyone thinks they're Vince Lombardi or something. I dunno.

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Chad Toporski's picture

July 17, 2012 at 02:50 pm

Why do people get so hung up on judging what people post on Twitter? If you don't care about what someone says, then don't follow them. Pretty basic, really. Just because a certain population loves Restaurant A doesn't mean everyone has to go eat there.

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Rocky70's picture

July 17, 2012 at 03:05 pm

You must remember one thing. The obsessed fans of twitter (like those comments above) are still waiting for the day they can vote, drink & move away from home without being picked up by the authorities. Most people still refer to them as "kids".

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Mandi's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:32 am

Sorry to see them go, but understandable considering the way some people think it's okay to troll just because these guys are public figures.

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mark's picture

July 17, 2012 at 10:43 am

I absolutely love this. The guys are trying to find any way to get an edge, be it mentally or otherwise. This is a great thing friends.

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FITZCORE1252's EVO's picture

July 17, 2012 at 11:52 am

Good.

GBP 4 LIFE

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PackersRS's picture

July 17, 2012 at 12:10 pm

+1

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Carl's picture

July 17, 2012 at 01:08 pm

Bup Bup to the Bang.

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FITZCORE1252's EVO's picture

July 17, 2012 at 04:51 pm

8-)

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djbonney138's picture

July 17, 2012 at 02:57 pm

Positive mindset. I like.

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Kparis99's picture

July 17, 2012 at 11:01 pm

This is the best idea that I've ever heard. Everyone needs to get off twitter and join the real world. This curse on society has turned our young people into brain dead zombies staring into their phones instead of interacting the the people or world around them. Good for you Mr Crabtree, welcome to the real world with the rest of us

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Evan's picture

July 18, 2012 at 10:46 am

Dad, is that you??

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Frank Hillside's picture

July 18, 2012 at 01:56 pm

Says the person commenting on an internet blog post.

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djbonney138's picture

July 18, 2012 at 05:20 pm

+1

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Wagszilla's picture

July 23, 2012 at 02:27 pm

I'll eat my hat if they manage to get HOFinley off of Twitter.

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