Matthew Simmons

Old Millennial, General Counsel (opinions are my own ). South Suburbs, U of I, Harvard Law. Die hard Bears, Sox, Bulls fan. Sci-fi/fantasy nerd. Liberal-ish.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Ryan Poles has been terrible in the draft. He might be the worst evaluator of defensive talent I've ever seen.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Trade: Bears are sending defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons, per his agent Drew Rosenhaus.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

What am I missing with this fake NFL player scandal? Who cares if dude was lying; why are folks out here giving money to NFL players to invest? LOL.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Opened the “For You” tab and saw Enes Kanter talking about joining the WNBA. Wut? LOL at the people acting like there is no way to distinguish him from a transgender woman.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

I don't understand casual sports fandom. Cannot imagine a worse scenario than caring about the outcome of a game without really understanding what's happening.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Alright, maybe I shouldn't care about this list

[NFL @NFL]

No. 81 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…

LB Bobby Wagner! @NFLFilms

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Terrible news. RIP Stacey King.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

I don’t understand the theory that Chicago politicians are obligated to help the Bears break their lease at Soldier Field and move to Arlington Heights. What are the Bears offering the City of Chicago?

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

This is bonkers. Everyone involved in his arrest and prosecution should be fired.

[Greg Lukianoff @glukianoff]

Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail for posting a meme on Facebook.

I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, and I can honestly say this is the worst First Amendment case I’ve ever seen.

Not because Larry threatened anyone. He didn’t. Not because he committed violence. He didn’t. Not because this was a close call. It wasn’t.

He posted a political meme — the kind of thing millions of Americans do every day — and local officials decided to treat it like a crime.

And because they had badges, prosecutors, jail cells, and the terrifying machinery of the state behind them, they got away with it for 37 days.

Larry is a retired police officer and National Guard veteran. The meme he shared quoted Donald Trump’s “we have to get over it” comment after a 2024 Iowa school shooting. Whatever you think of Trump, the meme was plainly political commentary. Perry County officials knew what it referred to. They knew it wasn’t a threat against a Tennessee school.

They arrested him anyway.

In the middle of the night.

They set his bond at $2 million.

He lost his job. He missed family milestones. He sat in jail for more than a month before the charges finally collapsed — because, of course, there was no crime here.

Today, @theFIREorg secured a measure of justice: Perry County agreed to pay Larry Bushart $835,000 for violating his constitutional rights.

This case should scare the hell out of people across the political spectrum.

Because if the government can jail you for a meme by pretending not to understand obvious political commentary, your rights are only as secure as the good faith of the most authoritarian official in your town.

That is exactly why we have the First Amendment. Not for speech everyone likes. Not for opinions that flatter the powerful. Not for the bland, safe, committee-approved stuff.

It exists for moments when fear, outrage, politics, and authority all line up and say: “Surely this is the exception.”

No. It isn’t.

I’m incredibly proud of @theFIREorg’s legal team. And I’m even prouder of Larry Bushart for refusing to let the government get away with treating his constitutional rights like a suggestion.

But despite the correct verdict, I'll probably always get angry every time I think of this case.

Let’s make this the last time anyone in America is arrested — let alone thrown in jail — for a meme.

Celebrate your independence. Defend your First Amendment.

https://t.co/7ADQTxeHsL

[Greg Lukianoff @glukianoff]

Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail for posting a meme on Facebook.

I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, and I can honestly say this is the worst First Amendment case I’ve ever seen.

Not because Larry threatened anyone. He didn’t. Not because he committed violence. He didn’t. Not because this was a close call. It wasn’t.

He posted a political meme — the kind of thing millions of Americans do every day — and local officials decided to treat it like a crime.

And because they had badges, prosecutors, jail cells, and the terrifying machinery of the state behind them, they got away with it for 37 days.

Larry is a retired police officer and National Guard veteran. The meme he shared quoted Donald Trump’s “we have to get over it” comment after a 2024 Iowa school shooting. Whatever you think of Trump, the meme was plainly political commentary. Perry County officials knew what it referred to. They knew it wasn’t a threat against a Tennessee school.

They arrested him anyway.

In the middle of the night.

They set his bond at $2 million.

He lost his job. He missed family milestones. He sat in jail for more than a month before the charges finally collapsed — because, of course, there was no crime here.

Today, @theFIREorg secured a measure of justice: Perry County agreed to pay Larry Bushart $835,000 for violating his constitutional rights.

This case should scare the hell out of people across the political spectrum.

Because if the government can jail you for a meme by pretending not to understand obvious political commentary, your rights are only as secure as the good faith of the most authoritarian official in your town.

That is exactly why we have the First Amendment. Not for speech everyone likes. Not for opinions that flatter the powerful. Not for the bland, safe, committee-approved stuff.

It exists for moments when fear, outrage, politics, and authority all line up and say: “Surely this is the exception.”

No. It isn’t.

I’m incredibly proud of @theFIREorg’s legal team. And I’m even prouder of Larry Bushart for refusing to let the government get away with treating his constitutional rights like a suggestion.

But despite the correct verdict, I'll probably always get angry every time I think of this case.

Let’s make this the last time anyone in America is arrested — let alone thrown in jail — for a meme.

Celebrate your independence. Defend your First Amendment.

https://t.co/7ADQTxeHsL

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

This Sox v. Cubs series is the most fun I've had watching baseball in years

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Bruh

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

RFK Jr: "A Democratic senator claimed it's mathematically impossible to have a drug drop by 600%. I said, 'Well, if the drug was $100 and it raises to $600, that would be a 600% rise. If it drops from $600 to $100, that's a 600% savings.'"

Trump: "Right"

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

My hottest political take is that liberals should talk to, work with, and even befriend conservatives (and vice versa). Sports are very helpful for this.

[Micah Erfan @micah_erfan]

Josh Shapiro is going into deep red territory and winning over people.

More democrats should follow his lead.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

White Sox already in mid-season form

[Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 @JeremiahDJohns]

I know it's boring and repetitive to talk about how grossly evil Trump is, but the fact remains: Trump is grossly evil, in a way that's pretty much unprecedented in this country.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

@ChiBearsMuse I love the Bears and Caleb, but Gervin was a bad MFer on the court man. Hope they reach an agreement to share "Iceman".

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

@MajorMinority27 I'm guessing Gervin has been earning money off the nickname for years; Caleb registering a trademark in it would threaten Gervin's ability to do that. I bet they reach an agreement to share the use, but I think this was a necessary step for Gervin.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

@ErikLambert1 Registering a trademark is more aggressive than simply using the word. Caleb is trying to register a trademark in the word “iceman”. Maybe Gervin didn’t think his long-time use of “Iceman” was threatened by Liddell’s attempt to register “Chuck Iceman Liddell”.

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

I-L-L

[Matthew Simmons @HCrestESQ]

Imagine being this proud of your douchebaggery.

[Yahoo Sports @YahooSports]

Penn students were savage after the First Round loss to Illinois 🗣️

[Yahoo Sports @YahooSports]

Penn students were savage after the First Round loss to Illinois 🗣️