According to The Ringer’s Kevin Clark, Indianapolis Colts starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo continues to keep negativity on social media out of his life entirely:
"“It’s cliché for athletes to say that they try to tune out critical comments. In this era of connectivity, it’s also virtually impossible — unless you’re (Anthony) Castonzo, who rearranged his life for the sole purpose of never hearing negative opinions about his play. Castonzo speculates that there’s now just one way for someone other than a coach to tell him how he or she feels about the Colts or their left tackle: mail a letter to Castonzo’s house.”"
Out of sight, out of mind.
Seeking to maintain his self-confidence and on-field psyche at maximum levels, Castonzo has elected to eliminate any social media users who direct negative thoughts or opinions by blocking them initially from the get-go:
"“Before he looks at his mentions, Castonzo has them prescreened by whoever is nearby — usually trainers, sometimes teammates — to guarantee that he never sees the critiques. This can be particularly hectic after games, but Castonzo carries out the practice round the clock, and the instructions are always the same: block anyone sharing an opinion.”“I say, ‘Hey, block anyone who says something bad,’” Castonzo said. “‘Block anyone who says something that I even remotely won’t like. Block anyone who is just too opinionated. Really, basically, anyone.’ I say, ‘This is my Twitter, I don’t need you on my feed.’”"
Two years ago, such screening first started with Castonzo’s girlfriend, Dominique, but she too got infuriated with the negativity and insults thrown at her significant other:
"Sep 13, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Indianapolis Colts tackle Anthony Castonzo (74) against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Colts 27 to 14. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports“Castonzo used to ask his girlfriend, Dominique, to handle the screening and blocking, but two years ago she started getting so furious at some of the mentions that he had to shift the responsibilities elsewhere. “She started to say, ‘I’m going to kill this person!’ and she’d get too pissed off,” Castonzo said. “So now I can’t hand the phone off to her, it has to go to someone else.”"
Since then, it’s no longer a girlfriend business, as the screening has reached new levels such as nearby trainers and teammates as mentioned.
Castonzo’s reasoning is simple. He’s already his own harshest critic, as a perfectionist playing one of the more challenging positions in the NFL and doesn’t need Joe Shmoe on the internet bringing him down:
"“I was like, ‘Hey, you, random person on the internet saying these things, I don’t need this,'” said Castonzo."
While it likely requires considerable effort and discipline, it makes sense that Castonzo is seeking to take care of his mental well being. Given the increasing popularity of sports psychology, the Colts starting left tackle is fully justified in keeping the naysayers, haters, and Debbie Downers out of his life regarding his play on the field.
So there you have it.
It turns out that Castonzo doesn’t just block really well on the field, but he also does it at a high level on social media too–at least to those that direct negativity and ill will toward the Colts starting left tackle.
Fortunately, some of us are still on his good side.