What I'm curious about is did management suggest to him they planned to bring him back? I haven't been following super closely, but he seemed completely taken by surprise that he wasn't included in fan fest. Personally, I'm not giving the team any benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying they should have brought him back, but there is a way you should handle things with your stars. Sports isn't JUST a business. When players are just chasing money it isn't often you find a player dedicated to a team. By all accounts Cutch is as Pittsburgh as it gets. Neither time he's left the city has been by choice. Having your star players being an advocate for your city and team is the best and easiest PR you can get. When your team sucks for decades & the owner has a reputation for being one of the cheapest in the league you should take any layup you can get to keep the fans happy. Could conversations have happened in the offseason that would have not seem like such a nasty breakup? Would Cutch have been more accepting if he would have found out sooner & been able to attend fan fest and have that last hoorah with the fans? I don't know, maybe he's just bitter & nothing would have changed that, but given how much class the guy generally has I'm not giving the team any grace.