Update – 5/7/2017 – Jay Cutler says he is, in fact, retiring from the NFL.
If you could make a good deal of money getting hit repeatedly by 250-pound men or talking about football in a booth, which would you choose?
The most well-known U.S. athlete with Type 1 diabetes seemingly chose the latter for the upcoming NFL season, as the NFL Network and Business Insider report that Jay Cutler has been hired as a color commentator with FOX Sports.
Cutler, who has Type 1 diabetes, has played 10 years as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. He has been the starting quarterback for much of this past decade, passing for more than 32,000 yards and scoring more than 208 touchdowns, all while managing his A1C score to stay well on and off the field.
Read more: Broadcaster mistakenly says Cutler has Type 2 diabetes
His career has had its share of ups and downs. NFL observers agree that Cutler has a cannon for a right arm,
But he has at times vexed his coaches over the years with some of his on-field decision-making.
To be fair, Cutler has also overseen several major upheavals of coaching staffs while with the Chicago Bears, a franchise that is considered to still be in disarray.
Broadcasting is an interesting career move for Cutler, whose at-times-dour outward demeanor has become something of a meme during his playing days. However, he is photogenic, as his wife underscored when she recently Instagrammed flattering photos of his front side and his exposed back side during the offseason. Also, as the NFL network report states, few question Cutler’s football I.Q. and depth of experience in the league.
Read more: Jay Cutler gets fat-shamed on Instagram
He recently lost his starting job with the Bears, and he has indicated he would still like to play in the NFL if he were given a clear role as a starter for another team. The Business Insider report speculates that Cutler’s role as a color commentator for a three-person broadcasting team gives him the flexibility to suit up again, should the right position arise in the upcoming playing season.
If Cutler does not throw another pass in the NFL, his career has already served as an example to the world that people with Type 1 diabetes can play at the highest level in the most physically demanding of sports. Come what may, we at Insulin Nation wish him all the best on this new chapter in his career.
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