After a whirlwind week of free agency activity the previous week, this past week was one of calm and quiet in Green Bay.

While the Packers did sign former Vikings DL Letroy Guion during the week, perhaps the most notable news was the departure of OT Marshall Newhouse, who signed with the Bengals on Friday.

His signing ends one of the most tumultuous careers in recent memory for the Packers, and gives Newhouse a new lease on his NFL life.

The story of Newhouse’s short career as a Packer is actually somewhat fascinating.

Many are quick to forget that he was the Packers starting left tackle during 2011-12. What cannot be forgotten his the almost unheard 21 1/2 sacks he allowed during his two year stint as Aaron Rodgers’ blindside protector. By the time 2013 came around, he had been demoted from starting left tackle, competing with Don Barclay for the starting right tackle spot, eventually losing out on that opportunity as well.

From starter to unwanted in three short years. That is the harsh reality of the tough business known as the NFL.

Even harsher than the business side of the NFL is the ability of fans to let players know EXACTLY what is on their minds instantaneously through the power of social media. It is both a curse and a blessing to have access to players, to be able to interact with them, and even have conversations with them.

Unfortunately for Newhouse, comments he received were far too often filled with vitriol and hatred.

It is no secret that Newhouse struggled during his time with the Packers. His play was far too often suspect, and that is putting it mildly. And the power of social media enabled “fans” from all over the globe to flood his timeline with spite and hatred the likes of which were seldom seen previously.

Despite this level of hate aimed at him, Newhouse stayed a pure professional, ignoring the haters and maintaining a professional image, in spite of what was aimed his way.

His final act as a member of the Packers epitomized class, when he took to Twitter one final time to thank the support he received while in Green Bay:

 

 

Newhouse should be applauded for sending this message. After years of receiving essentially nothing but hate on Twitter, he could have said nothing, choosing to walk away from Green Bay silently. But he didn’t. He sent a message to those who supported him, as well as those who did not.

He is a better man than I am. It would have been difficult for me not to vent a little about some of the comments received over the years as my final act if the roles were reversed. For that, I applaud him.

We are all too quick to forget the power of social media. Instantaneous messages sent to individuals that can have a profound effect on them.  The positive ones come far too seldom; the negative ones come far too frequently, and can have a lasting impact on the person.

Marshall Newhouse was the recipient of far more negative than positive messages during his time in Green Bay. And while he could have lashed out at the haters on more than one occasion, he chose the far more classy path of ignoring them, choosing to focus on the support he received than the countless messages of hate aimed his way.

His final tweet as a Packer taught us the meaning of class. Perhaps we can all learn a little bit from Marshall Newhouse.

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John Rehor is a writer at PackersTalk.com.

He can also be heard as one of the Co-Hosts of Cheesehead Radio.

You can follow John on twitter at jrehor or email him at johnrehor@yahoo.com.

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