Matt Harvey won’t talk to the press after punny headlines about his bladder

Players’ Tribune New York City Bureau Chief Matt Harvey may be returning to that role soon, as he’s refusing to talk to the regular media following the tabloid headlines about his bladder infection and his bathroom habits. As Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News writes, Mets’ manager Terry Collins said Harvey’s decision to close the floodgates on the media Wednesday was retribution for what Harvey viewed as their making light of a potentially-serious injury:

“I don’t blame him,” Collins told the Daily News Wednesday. “Nobody in here blames him. We were scared Monday. You know how scary it is when they are talking about having to decide in 24 hours what kind of procedure they would have to do to remove the clot if it didn’t pass? They were talking about the fact he wouldn’t be able to fly to New York.

“He was scared,” the manager said. “We were all scared for him. And to see everyone make a joke out of it … yeah, he’s mad. He’s not the only one who is.” …

Collins conceded that Harvey had opened himself up to the ridicule with his comments about holding in his urine.

“Did he say too much about going to the bathroom? Yeah maybe,” Collins said. “But the kid is hearing about procedures and blood clots one day and the next he’s getting made fun of. It’s New York, we understand that, but it was his health.”

Collins has a point, as this was a serious situation for Harvey, but it’s also not surprising at all that media outlets made light of it considering Harvey’s explanation that “I guess the main issue is I hold my urine in for too long.” Saves are more important than holds, Matt! Unsurprisingly, Harvey was the subject of ridicule everywhere from The New York Post (which mocked up all the punny covers they could think of) to Fox Sports Live, which ran a faux-PSA about urinating regularly:

https://twitter.com/foxsportslive/status/715211010462748673

It’s also worth noting that Harvey isn’t the first athlete to face urinary issues, but some, like NHL legend Gordie Howe, have headed back to work with much less fuss:

Thanks for reading. ICYMI, you gotta read Gordie Howe's kidney stone story. Talk about hardcore. #RedWings pic.twitter.com/adt7rojlxp

— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) March 31, 2016

So, Harvey can be mad all he wants to, but the way he chose to explain the situation here definitely opened him up for the mockery he took. This isn’t the first time he’s had a testy relationship with the media, though, and last year’s innings controversy led to him going to The Players’ Tribune to present his side of the story instead of talking with local reporters. We’ll see if he does that again, or if this relief from his media conversations is only temporary.

[The New York Daily News]