Bears QB Jay Cutler made a charity visit to a local hospital Wednesday morning hoping to cheer up some down-and-out people while improving his tarnished image following yet another disastrous performance against the Packers Sunday night. The results weren’t anywhere near what he and his PR handlers were hoping.
“It was great Jay wanted to help out but he’s not exactly the most cheery guy on the planet,” said Northwestern Memorial Hospital director Phil Stevens. “His inability to relate to patients was really tough to overcome.”
Stevens said Cutler’s visit got off to a bad start when an elderly patient began jokingly chastising him for his play Sunday night. Cutler immediately glazed over and maintained a distant, sullen mood for the rest of this visit, which wore off on the patients with whom he interacted. By the time Cutler left, he was so agitated he flipped the bird to a group of people at the hospital’s reception area.
“I didn’t think it would be possible for an NFL quarterback’s visit to leave our patients more depressed,” said Stevens, “but that’s exactly what happened when Jay Cutler was here today.”
Bears head coach Marc Trestman — also under fire for the team’s disappointing season — was quick to defend his franchise QB.
“I know Jay prepared intensely for his visit to the hospital,” said Trestman. “Things just didn’t start out like we hoped they would and he was under duress for the entire hospital visit.”
Asked what changes would be made, Trestman seemed to pin the blame on a backup receiver who’s been cut.
“We anticipate that releasing Santonio Holmes earlier this week will make a difference in the way Jay approaches future hospital visits,” said Trestman. “Don’t ask me how. Just trust me on this one.”
