Dear Jacquiski Tartt,
I saw your tweet from six days ago where you said “people gotta learn their comments say more about them..Than it actually has to do with me..”
What I assume that your tweet and subsequent tweet that says “all is well. I promise. Adults who are unhappy with themselves hide behind fake pages. The world we are living in.” Is referring to those who have tweeted at you since the San Francisco 49ers loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
We know what happened. We know that the loss is not on you. There is plenty of blame to go around. While the missed interception was momentum changing, the fact that you took responsibility was greatly appreciated by most 49er fans, yet it was not necessary.
Mr. Tartt 49ers fans are well aware of what you mean to the team. Still by being bombarded with what I can only assume that are more negative tweets than positive tweets being directed at you it got me thinking of another athlete from the bay area who recently was in the news.
His name, Jeremy Giambi. He committed suicide this week at the age of 47. While a member of the Oakland Athletics he made what many believe was a major mistake when he decided to not slide while trying to score a game-tying run. He is the one being called out on the infamous “flip play” by Derek Jeter.
That out call was huge and changed that playoff series. Even worse there was no way that Giambi was going to not get reminded of his mistake. He was fortunate for one thing that social media was not like it is today as you can attest to with some of the tweets being sent to you.
For you Mr. Tartt your dropped interception will not likely get replayed over and over, like it did with the “flip play.” The thing about mistakes though is that they still haunt you regardless of how private or public those are.
What ifs tend to start-up and at that point it becomes a slippery slope. While I am glad that you see yourself with thick skin especially when it comes to those who are tweeting negatively at you. You are still human and no matter how thick your skin is, what gets written does begin to take a toll. It reminds me of a question someone asked and got an answer to.
The question was what is the strongest substance in the human body? The answer was tooth enamel. Of course there was a follow-up question about why then does it break down? There are obviously a number of reasons why. Still the answer stood out and if I remember correctly it has to do with how one brushes their teeth and eventually that enamel will break down because of it.
So please Mr. Tartt, regardless of your belief on how thick your skin is, if you need help, ask!
Sincerely,
Steven Resnick