Winston Justice: Justice isn't always served on both sides of the news

Eagles right tackle Winston Justice is writing a column for the Daily News this season. His columns appear Wednesdays.

I'VE LEARNED a lot since I started writing this column last year. I'm a player and now I'm a member of the media (sort of) and I often feel torn between the two worlds.

I never realized how hard it is to be objective, opinionated and politically correct at the same time. This week, I was shocked to find out that Randy Moss was fined for not speaking to the media, and subsequently cut from the team. In this world we live in now, with immediacy of news, there is little room for mistakes.

Right after a game, you better collect your thoughts and get your emotions under control or it could cost you your job. It's harder now than it used to be to get forgiveness for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. In the old days, many of the beat writers who covered a team on a daily basis would give a player the chance to rephrase his quote if it seemed to be inflammatory, but now they are fighting against the gossip sites and bloggers. You don't have to be right anymore, you just have to be first. It's discouraging. But in these changing times, we all have to adapt.

I actually enjoy speaking to the press. I also take the responsibility seriously and understand the consequences that come along with saying something provocative. If I didn't know it before, I certainly do now.

In today's world, controversy sells. Stories are blown out of proportion on a regular basis. Sports and politics are the two things that are covered 24 hours a day.

I understand the role of players and the newsworthiness of knowing what goes on behind the scenes.

As a player, are we really going to tell you how we feel about each other and our bosses? Not likely, unless you're trying to talk yourself off a team. Without news, we don't have fans, without fans we don't have a business. Although I've never shied away from an interview, I have picked up plenty of papers and wondered, "What the heck are these people talking about? That isn't what happened at all."

Now that I sit on both sides of the pencil, I understand we need to work together. Sometimes I stop myself while writing my column and think, "This story is too boring for the readers. Are the fans going to read this if there isn't any drama?"

At the end of the day, there is a business to both sides. I hope we can all take a moment and keep some perspective the next time we read an article or judge someone by one bad quote. People are often not as bad or as great as they are portrayed by the press. We are a product of our own society and I'm guilty of it, too. We don't want our personal business out there, but at the same time we want to hear about everyone else's.

Despite all of the controversy and negativity we hear in the news, there is a lot of good going on in the NFL and around the country. I just wish some of that would make headlines from time to time as well.

Today, we will never know why Moss was cut or Donovan McNabb was benched. Let's just be honest with ourselves, no one is telling the truth. We can speculate all we want, but even that just gets old after a while.

Have a question for Winston? Send your question, along with your name and hometown to

dnsports@phillynews.com. Winston will answer the best questions in upcoming columns.