Why Did Cody Parkey Go on the Today Show?

Cody Parkey went on the Today Show this morning, and it feels a lot bit too soon when you consider how raw the feelings are still for Bears fans (which I’m not, but whom I live amongst in Chicago). Here was the spot:

Obviously, kicking is a lot harder than everyone thinks. Katie Nolan did a bit where people who crushed kickers on social media tried to make field goals, and it went as horribly as you’d expect. Yes, the Bears’ offense should’ve gotten into the endzone, the defense didn’t get a stop at the end, and the kick was tipped.

Parkey was a pro in facing reporters after the game, and he laments in the Today Show video about how he let Bears fans and his teammates down, but it’s a disservice to Bears fans for him to go on national television this week. You can say that they don’t have to watch it and this is true but if they went on social media yesterday when the appearance was announced and/or today when reaction was happening they were treated to a fresh round of having the double-doink shoved in their face. He should have the self-awareness to spare them of that.

(This is where dissenters will say it’s only a game and point to how Parkey has the proper perspective that being a football player is what he does but not define him, to which I would say he’s being paid millions of dollars because of those fans’ passions and the very least he could do in this situation is lay low and avoid any inference, fair or unfair, that he’s capitalizing on their pain.)

The Bears are stuck in an unenviable situation with Parkey. It’s not like this was a trustworthy kicker who missed one late in the season. He struggled all year, and they’re on the hook for millions of dollars in guaranteed money for him. Nevertheless, from the outside looking in you’d have to think they need to treat that as a sunk cost and not bring the bad juju back for another year. It’s been nothing but trouble since the team parted with Robbie Gould.

On Thursday, I discussed the topic with Jarrett Payton and Josh Frydman on CLTV’s SportsFeed in Chicago: