A few days ago, Scott Van Pelt got prank called by a Howard Stern staple Captain Janks, but apparently that was just the start to his week. Late last night, the Sports Center anchor added to his woes by dropping an F-bomb when he thought his mic was off....

Those apologies always seem so awkward to me. I understand they have to be done, but it's f**king one o'clock in the morning! If someone watching at that hour gets offended....f**k em.

ESPN's Scott Van Pelt Drops F-Bomb (Only Gators)

I almost didn't post this, because Sean Salisbury has been through enough these past few years, but I figured I had to for closure. After vehemently denying the claim that he photographed and mailed a picture of his "nether regions", he confirmed to USA Today what everyone already believed. He really did do it....

Other than its decidedly 21st-century angles, Sean Salisbury's story is timeless: Show spur-of-the-moment stupidity, deny it in hopes it will be forgotten — then find it follows you around instead.

"I was ashamed, and I didn't want to say anything," says Salisbury, who was an NFL quarterback for eight years and an ESPN NFL analyst for 12. "I thought it would go away and let my ego get in the way. Since then, I've beat myself up about it more than 10 baseball bats could. A stupid mistake can cost you, and this has really cost me. I should have been having this conversation a long time ago."

But what Salisbury, 46, is admitting simply substantiates what's already an urban legend on the Internet: that he took cellphone photos of his private parts and showed them.

Yuck. Salisbury says it only happened once — "a sophomoric mistake" in a Connecticut bar in 2006 — for which ESPN suspended him for a week for then-unspecified reasons.

Now, Salisbury feels better from having had anger-management therapy — "I needed help. I had a lot of inner anger for years." He says he's trying to champion the cause of accuracy in online reporting in a lawsuit against Deadspin that he insists is anything but frivolous.

"It was stupid —dumb!— but not malicious," he says. "How can it ruin a good career? … I've gone from being on six days a week to disappearing. And it's not like I wanted to disappear. … But it feels good getting it off my chest."

Well there you have it. Someone who went on the Internet to deny the claim, and wanted you to feel sorry for him, has no come out to say that all reports were true and he wants you to feel sorry for him. I wish Salisbury no ill will, but if you make your bed....you have to lie in it. There's always someone out there to replace you, and don't expect people to miss you when you're gone.

Salisbury aims to move on after admission (USA Today)

By now everyone has heard that Bob Griese made a pretty racist statement yesterday, when he suggested Juan Pablo Montoya was out of the Top Five because "he was out having a taco." Well late yesterday evening he issued an apology through ESPN. Here's the video and the apology.

“Earlier today on our game I made an offensive comment regarding Juan Pablo Montoya as part of a NASCAR promo. It was regrettable and I should not have said it. I really enjoy NASCAR and I follow it closely and would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Juan, NASCAR and everyone else who heard my comment.”- Bob Griese

I just don't know what to say when these things happen anymore. How someone could ever think that would be funny is beyond me. Bob Griese now joins Tony Kornheiser in the Stereotype Hall of Fame.

I decided to not post the recent Cris Collinsworth YouTube video scandal, well....because I posted it over a year ago. Either way, the ex-Bengal and current NBC analyst, apologized for his comments back in the day to multiple news outlets, and here were his comments. Via Watchdog....

As a family man I am extremely embarrassed by an interview I did when I was in my early twenties about dating. My comments were insulting, immature, and foolishly intended as a joke. They do not reflect how I lived my life then... or now.

I was asked to do something humorous about dating, and it has been a major embarrassment to me since the day I said it.

I apologize to anyone who has ever had the misfortune to see it now or a quarter-century ago.

Obviously, a bigger deal was made of this than needed to be, but I guess with his new role he felt it was needed. It was a dumb mistake when he was younger, and I'm sure he regrets ever saying the comment(s).

Cris Collinsworth apologizes for comments . . . 25 years later! (Watchdog)

It wasn't that long ago, that Jemele Hill was suspended for comparing the Boston Celtics to "Hitler" and "Nuclear War", and now she's back in the news for controversial remarks. During "First Take" yesterday, Hill encouraged Packers' fans to give Brett Favre the "Duracell Treatment", and ESPN has issued a statement regarding her comments. First the video via Bob's Blitz....

ESPN's Statement:


Obviously, this is another failed attempt at humor, but you have to wonder what was going through Hill's mind at the time. You can encourage fans to boo and bring signs, but never ask them to bring objects to throw at players.

Video - ESPNs Hill to Packer Fans: Throw Duracells at Favre (Bob's Blitz)

There have been a ton of things for Charles Barkley to apologize for, and he acknowledges that, but apparently calling his producer a "pu**y" on live television isn't one of them. Barkley talked about the incident on the Dan Patrick show today, and here's what he had to say....

I mean, he does kind of have a point. I've always been amused by people who get upset by cursing, and the said transgression did take place at about 1am. I thought he should have apologized for being unprofessional, and demeaning a co-worker, but apparently I'm wrong about that.

Charles Barkley won't apologize for cursing; rips Twitter (Dan Patrick)

You knew that the story was coming out one way or another, and today we all learned where. Tony Dungy's talk with Mike Vick, during his last days in prison, will be presented as an article in this week's SI. In fact, it's already online and here's a brief snippet....

Then I went to see Michael. As I sat down with him at the table in the visitors' room, he looked just like many of the young men I have talked with in other prisons. I couldn't get over how young he still looked. I hadn't seen him in person since 2005, but his face looked the same. The Falcons' number 7 jersey, though, had been replaced by a tan jumpsuit with his inmate number on it. We talked for about two hours, and my message was the same one I've given hundreds of other inmates I've visited. "What you learn in life is the same thing you learn in football," I told Michael, who was scheduled to be released from prison this Wednesday to serve the final two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement. "You have losses, and you have to rebound from them. The key thing is, How do you bounce back from a defeat?"

In the two hours we spent together, Michael and I learned a lot about each other, and we made a commitment to stay in touch after he is released. When I left the prison, I found myself thinking: What if Michael, who says his father was not a positive influence on his household when he grew up, had had the same family support system that Josh [Freeman] had? Would he have ended up in this situation? I really don't think so.

That's really just the surface of the article, as it delves into how Dungy helps a lot of inmates, so you should definitely check out the rest. I've noticed over the past few days that rarely has anything bad been said about Vick, and I'm beginning to understand why. It's human nature to want to forgive and forget, and that's what the media seems to already be doing with Vick. Either that, or they want to be the first to score an interview (*ahem* ESPN!).

Guidance With A Fatherly Touch (SI)

Last year, Doug Collins was all set to coach the Chicago Bulls, when he suddenly decided to take his name out of consideration. Apparently this year he'll be doing the same thing to the 76ers. Doug Collins told the Associated Press yesterday that he had talked to the 6ers, and that there was mutual interest, but during the game he decided to complete contradict that statement....

TNT analyst Doug Collins apologized to Philadelphia 76ers president Ed Stefanski for mistakenly saying he spoke to the team about its open coaching job.

Collins had told The Associated Press on Tuesday night before Game 5 of the Rockets-Lakers series he had talked with the Sixers about their vacancy "like two or three times."

"Whatever they want to do, they know where I am if they want to call," he said.

Collins, a former NBA coach, then backtracked on his original comments during the game and denied speaking with Stefanski.

"I have not spoken to them. And I want them to understand that," Collins said on TV. "I feel very badly if there was a miscommunication there at all."

He added: "I apologize to Eddie Stefanski if they felt like I was putting something out there that was not true."

I can understand if used the term "mutual interest", but to say you've talked two or three times is not just a "miscommunication", it's a "misrepresentation". And a pretty egregious one at that.

Collins backs off talk on 76ers vacancy (AP)

I've always liked David Feherty, but the guy certainly has the habit of going a little too far when he's trying to make a point. This time, he may have gone too far. In a column he penned for D Magazine, Feherty tried to make an analogy about U.S. Soldiers that included the deaths of Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid. The statement was so shocking that it even earned him Olbermann's "Worst Person In The World" for this past Friday. Here's the quote, and the MSNBC video....

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."- David Feherty

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Talk about terrible analogies. However, I don't think CBS is going to be firing Feherty anytime soon, as Olbermann seemed to be calling for. The network has already classified the statement as "unacceptable attempt on humor", and Feherty has apologized via a statement from his agent: "The passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president. In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize."

President George W. Bush Comes Home (D Magazine)

Matt Vasgersian doesn't seem to have a filter at times, and if you asked him about it, I think he'd be the first to admit that. Yesterday, the MLB Network host thought about what he had done, and issued an on-air apology. Via the Biz of Baseball....

Obviously it was a poor choice of joke, and the timing was just terrible. There was no ill intent and hopefully people don't hold it against Vasgersian. Moving on....

Vasgersian: "I certainly didn't mean to trivialize an injury." (Biz of Baseball)

Three weeks ago Sports Illustrated reported that defensive lineman BJ Raji, a potential top five pick, had tested for marijuana. After denial, after denial from Raji and his agent, and even the NFL saying he was not on the list, SI has admitted they got it all wrong. Here is their apology, which popped up on SI.com today....

An SI.com report posted earlier this month incorrectly stated that Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji's name would appear on the NFL's list of players who tested positive for drugs at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. We regret the error.

Well that's nice of them. I'm all for having sources and sticking to them, but when you've got a young man's future in your hands, you absolutely have to provide all the info that you have. The evidence was flimsy at best, and thankfully Raji can move forward with his Draft Day experience.

Correction: BC's Raji not on NFL's drug list (Sports Illustrated)

Steve Phillips recently shared a bit of criticism on the Cubs, which Manager Lou Pinella didn't take kindly to, and the ESPN analyst sought out the coach before last night's ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. Phillips had questioned Pinella's patience when dealing with Kosuke Fukudome, and apologized for his comments yesterday. Via the Chicago Tribune....

In an interview on WMVP-AM 1000 this spring, Phillips told Chet Coppock: "My view is Lou doesn't have a great deal of patience for assimilation into culture, assimilation into the team. He is just not the most patient guy around, and he also tends to verbalize his frustrations in an angry way. I think that may have affected Fukudome a little bit."

That comment upset Piniella, who later told the Tribune: "I don't have much respect for Steve Phillips. Let him be around a little more and see what transpires before he makes assumptions. I've lost total respect for this guy. If he had something to say, let him say it to me."

Phillips had not spoken to Piniella about the comments until Sunday night. Piniella appeared to accept his explanation.

But Phillips was not the only one on ESPN critiquing Piniella. The manager was watching "Baseball Tonight" in the clubhouse with several players after Saturday's game when he heard that he was already showing impatience by changing closers one week into the season.

"If that's the worst thing they say about me on ESPN, I'm happy," Piniella said.

I think it's pretty apparent that Lou doesn't have much patience, so I found it a bit odd when he got that upset about the original comment. I really don't think Phillips should have apologized, but alls well that ends well I guess.

ESPN's Steve Phillips apolozies to Lou Piniella (Chicago Tribune)

It can't be easy to jump between three games, while all are under a minute left to play, but that's exactly what CBS has had to do multiple times in the Tournament so far. For the most part, they've been doing a splendid job, but there have two specific incidents that caused an uproar. The first one came on Friday, as a potential buzzer beater by Wisconsin was switched away from in mid-air, and the second was a change away from the supposed "constant feed" in Louisville during their game against Siena.

Well today, CBS Sports Exec VP/Programming Mike Aresco apologized for the problems, and explained that one was a control room error, and one was just a bad idea. Via SBD....

"We always plan on staying with a constant. In some situations, and we've done it over the years, we'll try to get to just a buzzer-beater and get right back to the constant. In this particular case we had an unusual situation that developed. You had two exciting potential buzzer-beaters at the same time. We're trying to what we call ping-pong back and forth and then there were some bizarre circumstances in those games and we did use commercials as best we could. When games were stopped we would go back but in this particular case, yeah, we didn't get back fast enough and things were happening quickly and it happens." Aresco said CBS "in this particular case" made a mistake. Aresco: "I think in this particular case we probably needed to get back a little quicker." Meanwhile, Aresco described the network cutting away from Friday night's Wisconsin-Florida State game while the final shot was in mid-air as a "control room error"

While I was one of forty people yelling at a bar during the Wisconsin-FSU one, I could understand the slip up, as both games were extremely close in the last minute of play. The whole constant thing in Louisville is only really an issue because they were trailing Siena by two at the time. Had they been up, no one would have complained about missing just a minute of action.

I think CBS does an amazing job of switching between the games, but it might be time to go with a split-screen if they can. That way they cover all of their bases.

Bait and Switch (Sports Business Daily - $)

Charles Barkley got his sentenced reduced last week, but still had to head to "Tent City" for a three day period. That time began on Saturday, and Barkely decided to hold a press conference before he entered the facility. Here's the clip....

So you're not going to kill yourself? That's definitely a good thing. I also hope that Barkley doesn't go back into his mode of blaming the media for everything, but it looks like that won't be the case. Oh and why CNN would not air the parts when he talked about Barack Obama and Chris Brown, is beyond me.

In case you missed it, here is the full apology on Inside the NBA last night. It went as expected, and hopefully Chuck and TNT can move forward....

The weirdest thing that came out of the Alex Rodriguez admission interview on ESPN, certainly wasn't anything about steroids. No, it was the claim by Rodriguez, that SI reporter Selena Roberts, broke into his building and was "stalking" him. Well apparently that was a lie because according to Newsday, A-Rod has called Roberts and has apologized for said claim....

This comes to us from the good folks at CNN, who sent over a transcript of today's "Reliable Sources" show in which host Howard Kurtz blurted out -- I mean reported exclusively -- that Alex Rodriguez called Selena Roberts and apologized for bashing her in his ESPN confession/interview on Monday.

Here's the part of the transcript about that:

KURTZ: Well, you know, Selena Roberts, who's a former "New York Times" reporter, I am told -- and I can report this exclusively -- that after that interview Alex Rodriguez called her to apologize.

Nothing more was said of it on the show.

Awww, that's sweet. You claim someone unlawfully entered you domain, stalked you, and you give a quick apology. That's nice. Glad that's all cleared up.

BREAKING NEWS: Alex Rodriguez, also known as A-Rod, said to have apologized to Selena Roberts (Newsday)

ESPN just aired a brief clip of the Peter Gammons interview with Alex Rodriguez, and while it's not the full one that will be on Sports Center tonight, it seems to be the most important part of the discussion. Here is the video in case you missed it....

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day. Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."- Alex Rodriguez (Via ESPN)

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful."

So what we now know is that he is admitting to using PEDs during a three-year period with the Texas Rangers, and that he's apparently extremely sorry for doing so. It's still not surprising, but what is surprising is that he actually came clean and admitted to doing so. I don't think many people are willing to forgive right away, especially when you take into account he lied during his 60 Minutes interview, but this was definitely a step he needed to take.

A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs (ESPN)

It's rare that Charles Barkley doesn't have something to say, but following his December 31st arrest in Arizona, he decided to refrain from any comment on the matter. That was until this weekend, when the TNT analyst finally broke his silence at a celebrity Golf tournament of all places. Speaking to The Ledger (Lakeland, Florida), Barkley called the arrest a "mistake" and "100 percent" his fault, and even shared his thoughts on Michael Phelps....

"Clearly, I made a mistake drinking and driving. And I'm getting penalized for that, and rightfully so,'' Barkley said.

"Drinking and driving is a very serious thing. It was stupid, and it was 100 percent my fault,'' added Barkley, who said his return to the TV booth is up to TNT.

Barkley also offered an opinion on the ongoing situation with Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps.

Phelps, who won eight gold medals at Beijing, has been assailed for a photo of him smoking marijuana with a bong pipe at a student party while visiting the University of South Carolina.

"I don't think he's the worst person in the world. Everybody's a hypocrite right now,'' Barkley said. "He made a mistake. He said he was sorry.

"I guess they want us to take him out back and shoot him,'' Barkley said. "He made a mistake and I wish him nothing but the best.''

Obviously nothing has changed in regards to Barkley's current problems, but I seriously hope that when he comes back on-air that he isn't a different commentator. I think a Pre-DUI Barkley would have probably made a comparison to the reaction of a black athlete being busted for marijuana, and without Barkley providing that, you can see that not that many people have even acknowledged the double standard in this instance.

With that said, Sports Business Journal's John Ourand, has just released the news that Barkley will be returning to TNT following the All-Star break....

TNT plans to bring Charles Barkley back to its “Inside the NBA” studio show soon after Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, though the network has not picked a specific date.

The decision ends rumors that TNT would bring Barkley back for the coming weekend’s All-Star Game telecasts. Rather, Turner Sports President David Levy said he would make a decision “right after the All-Star Game.”

“He is going to continue to remain on a leave of absence through the All-Star Game. He will not be part of our All-Star Weekend festivities,” Levy said.

“It wasn’t a hard decision for me to give him some time off to get his legal matters straight and to get his personal life in order,” Levy said. “The question is, when is the right time to bring him back? There is no magic answer to that. It’s just a gut feel.”

I'll keep you posted on a date, and plans of Barkley's first on-air comments on the network.

Barkley Returns, Teams With Bean And Bryant for Charity Golf Event (The Ledger)
TNT to bring back Barkley following All-Star telecast (Sports Business Journal - $)

This story is about a week old, but is just now starting to get interesting. During Nebraska's recent loss to Kansas, Cornhusker player Cookie Miller got a little too aggressive with a Jayhawk player, and announcer Doug Gottlieb called him out on it. After a few replays, Gottlieb said Miller was, "acting like a punk," and if you watch the video, I think you'll agree.

Pretty obvious that Miller was just trying to start some s**t there, but not to Mr. Miller, who is searching for an apology from Gottlieb. And after an exchange with Brooks from SbB, it's pretty clear he's not getting one....
“I understand how someone could take it because I used the word ‘punk.’ To be clear,

I did not call Miller a ‘punk’, I said he was ‘acting like a punk’, which in truth assumes that he is not a punk, but that he has temporarily lowered his level of sportsmanship. My job is based in using my own personal knowledge, experience and opinion to analyze each situation. This was my analysis.”

There's a big difference between calling a person a punk, and saying they are "acting like" one. I can respect Big Cookie's defense of his son, but he has to understand that Gottlieb wasn't bashing his son's overall character, but rather his actions in that one moment.

Player’s Dad Wants Apology From ESPNer Gottlieb (Sports by Brooks)

Here we go again. Someone was trying to do something funny, and a special interest group takes offense. ESPN has apologized to both the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Human Rights Campaign, for an add that featured commentator Mike Breen asking for a "Fist Kiss" from Shaquille O'Neal. Not only that, but they're dropping the ad entirely. Via Edge....

ESPN thought it was being clever when it unveiled a promotional ad the cable channel that showed basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal rejecting a "fist kiss" (fist bump, really) from sports commentator Mike Breen. Instead, it unleashed a firestorm of protest.

Now, the channel has said it is sorry and will remove the ad, reports The Advocate. After Breen called it a "fist kiss," O’Neal moves away from Breen on the couch, and says, "No fist kiss, no fiss love, no fist hump. None of that. You’re a weirdo man. Stay over there. Fist kiss. Disgusting."

It was the latter word that got the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign hot under the collar.

GLAAD, in a statement, reported that ESPN responded to its objections with a statement of its own. "None are intended to be offensive to anyone or any community of people," ESPN’s statement said of its campaign. "Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can."

The network added that "We understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community. In addition, we have decided to remove the ad from the campaign’s online executions. ESPN has a long-standing tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and beyond. We are fully committed to continuing a dialogue that welcomes and recognizes diverse perspectives. We appreciate your bringing your concerns to our attention.

I always say that people should just apologize, and move on if they offend someone, but some of these requests are getting a bit ridiculous. I guess alls well that ends well, but you would think ESPN could have changed the ad instead of dropping it entirely.

ESPN Apologizes for, Removes ’Homophobic’ Ad