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"NFL linebacker Brian Cushing took to Facebook Wednesday morning to break his silence after a controversial hit ended his season with a major knee injury. \nCushing, who plays for the Houston Texans, tore his left anterior cruciate ligament when New York Jets guard Matt Slauson dove into his legs from behind for a block. Many fans and media considered the block a cheap shot, and the NFL is reportedly reviewing the play for possible disciplinary action against Slauson. \nCushing had not spoken publicly since the play until his Facebook post Wednesday morning. Instead of either calling out Slauson for dirty hit or defending the play as legitimate, however, Cushing offered a short and upbeat message to his 148,000 subscribers:\n\nTrust me when I say that I'll be back better than ever next year; but in the meantime, I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and you fans for all the amazing love and support.\nOh, and WE are STILL winning THIS year's Super Bowl.\n\nThe post received over 1,800 likes and 300 comments within 10 minutes of being shared. \nCushing's Facebook message is just the latest example of professional athletes using social media to act as their own media outlets to bypass reporters and more traditional news sources. In August, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Mike Wallace's first public comments after extended preseason holdout over a contract dispute came via a video recorded on a teammate's iPhone and then posted to Facebook. Last month, a pair of candid and obscene tweets by Green Bay Packer T.J. Lang went mega-viral after his team lost on a controversial call by the NFL's replacement referees. \nDo you think Cushing was right to use Facebook for a relatively benign post, or should he have addressed whether or not he thought the season-ending hit was a dirty play? Give us your take in the comments. \nThumbnail image courtesy @briancushing56"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/10/10/nfl-brian-cushing-facebook-injury/>