Antonio Cromartie Threatens to Smash Matt Hasselbeck's Face In

UPDATE: Hasselbeck says his (now deleted) original tweet was merely a joke. He apologized to Cromartie and added "DB's and QB's have a hard time getting along I guess, sometimes. lol"

Certainly a diplomatic way to keep the peace during this time of much-needed player unity, but it's hard to believe that Hasselbeck didn't mean at least a portion of what he initially said. It would be nice to see him stand by it. Cromartie threatening violence only gave credence to Hasselbeck's original statement. Now he's just been bullied into silence. All the while, the owners are sitting back like Montgomery Burns watching as their employees fight over scraps.

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Earlier today, Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk reported on a deleted Tweet sent by Matt Hasselbeck in which the Seattle Seahawks' quarterback took a shot a Jets' cornerback Antonio Cromartie, asking if the latter "knows what CBA stands for".

Hasselbeck's comment was likely in response to a profanity-laced tirade Cromartie made in regards to the pace of labor negotiations. From ESPN:

"To me, you need to stop bitching about it," the New York Jets cornerback said. "And if you wanna say you're gonna get into a room and meet and greet, and say you're gonna do what you need to do, then do it. Don't just talk about it."

Despite the tweet being deleted not long after it was spent, word of Hasselbeck's comment apparently made its way to Cromartie who took to Twitter to elevate the rhetoric a tad. Via Twitter:

@Hasselbeck hey Matt if u have something to then say it be a man about it. Don't erase it. I will smash ur face in.

The angry response only seems to reinforce what Hasselbeck's deleted tweet was implying. After Cromartie's interview made its way around, a large number of NFL players used nearly any media platform they could find - social or otherwise - to profess their faith in NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith, knowing that any signs of a splintering union could give the owners even more leverage in the intensifying battle.

That was probably the biggest reason Hasselbeck immediately withdrew the comment. It's also the reason that Cromartie should be smart enough to know that he can't start a flame war on the Internet over something as meaningful to his professional future. Both Cromartie and Hasselbeck are free agents but can't begin discussing new contracts as long as the labor situation is unsettled, something that is undoubtedly frustrating for someone with a long list of financial obligations.