This is not a repeat of 2009, 2008, 2007....wait how many years has Bill Simmons worked at ESPN? Anyway, Simmons had a bit of a Twitter meltdown yesterday after learning that his scoop, which hadn't been taken seriously was credited to Adam Schefter. Bill had reported that Tom Brady had broken three ribs way back on December 10th, but his employer didn't believe the claim until it was reported by a "real reporter"....




Well let's get one thing out of the way first. Of course Bill cares, or he wouldn't be drawing attention to it. Of course it's terrible when someone gets credit for something that you've found first, but what do you expect? Breaking the story, and with "their guys", is all ESPN cares about and they're notorious for claiming credit from others. Just ask Jay Glazer.

All in all, I think this spells the end for Simmons and ESPN. I thought that his (brilliant) work, and time spent on ESPN's 30 for 30, would give him new life.....but apparently there's still an underlying element of mistrust.

Bill Simmons Hammers ESPN's Twitter Policy (Huff Post)

With every angle exhausted on Brett Favre, ESPN (and Scoop Jackson) have turned to the next logical slant when it comes to the flip-flopper....


What if Brett Favre were a woman? (ESPN: Scoop Jackson)

You almost have to feel bad for ESPN, when it comes the "Summer of Favre 2", but at least they have a sense of humor about it. In their latest "This Is Sports Center" ad the network pokes fun at their own coverage. According to Sports Business Daily, Senior Dir/Marketing Seth Adler said, "while the concept for the ad was developed several months ago, it was not filmed until last Tuesday, the same day Favre signed with the Vikings." Adler also went onto say that it marks the quickest turnaround time, three days, in the history of the campaign. Here's your first look....

The amount of honesty that Jay Glazer shows on a weekly basis, is refreshing to some, but can get him in trouble from time to time. Earlier this week, Glazer broke the news that Brett Favre was officially heading to Minnesota to sign a deal, and while ESPN credited him with the story, their analysts continued to mock him throughout the day and poo poo the story. Well after his breaking news came to fruition, he went on the Jorge Sedano show, on 790 The Ticket in Miami, and had some more choice words for the "Leader"....

Again, it's refreshing to hear someone who can be serious about his job, but also understand that we're just talking about Sports. ESPN has to be bitter that they spent the whole Summer following Favre around, and when he finally decides to sign with the Vikings, the story is broken by someone else. Burn!

If there is one man in mainstream media, that's willing to call out the "Leader, that man is Jay Glazer. The FOX Sports "Breaking News" Expert has made it no secret that he likes the current battle between himself and the likes of Chris Mortensen, so it should come as no shock that he recently decided to deface Mort's Tour Bus. Via PFT....


I'm not entirely sure what gang sign Glazer is throwing up there, but the nuances that he added to Mort's visage are extremely entertaining.

I think we've established that ESPN should have reported on Ben Roethlisberger's lawsuit last week, and that we've all moved on. Well apparently the Sports Reporters haven't. The civil suit was the opening topic on the show over the weekend, and it sparked a war of words between, Mitch Albom (Detroit Free Press) and Bill Rhoden (NY Times). Tom Jones of TampaBay.com took notes....

ESPN's Sports Reporters got a little testy Sunday when Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom and New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden got into an argument about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who is being accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting a woman. The argument essentially started because Rhoden came off highly critical of Roethlisberger. Albom, who made a point of saying he didn't know whether Roethlisberger was guilty, brought up the possibility that the allegations are false, saying, "There are many women who make false claims.''

To which Rhoden said: "Many? Name five.''

Albom said, "You sound as if you already presume he has already done this.''

Rhoden: "I'm presuming he put himself in a bad position.''

Jones notes that Mike Lupica then pulled the reins in on the argument, and the topic was quickly switched (presumably to Brett Favre). It's actually a bit ironic that ESPN decided to ignore the fact the whole week, and then when it's finally brought up in a debating format, the kibosh was quickly put on the topic. To say ESPN's stance and reporting on this has been schizophrenic, is an understatement.

Shooting from the Lip/Monday edition (TampaBay.com)

Ever since ESPN decided to make a non-issue of this, I've been intrigued by the Roethlisberger civil lawsuit. Well today, Roethlisberger made a short, yet very confident statement, denying the allegations of Andrea McNulty. For as much as ESPN ignored the story, they predictably aired the press conference, and discussed the issue with one of their many law consultants. Here's a clip....

He was pretty adamant there, and since Nevada authorities aren't pursuing criminal charges, you can expect either a trial in the near future or a dismissal of the case. I'm personally expecting the later to happen.

It's an all ESPN day today, with the main stories being the EA fallout, and the "Leader" denying to report on the Ben Roethlisber sexual assault lawsuit. Well last evening, not only did ESPN make the decision to ban Post writers, but they also decided to report on Big Ben....at 11:27pm....


ESPN had taken the stance that they don't report on civil lawsuits, only criminal, and for the most part....they've stuck to that. Two years ago, the "Leader" didn't report on Randy Moss' alleged "dating violence" case, until a restraining order was filed.

As far as Roethlisberger goes, ESPN's Bill Hofheimer had this to say to PFT today, "Based on the sensitive nature of the story and other factors we mentioned, we initially exercised caution and did not report it. Since then, we've been observing how the story has progressed, monitoring other news outlets, and doing our own reporting. We decided to report the story tonight."

Obviously, it's a tough spot to be in, but there are ways to handle it without upsetting the people involved. As long as you report it as "alleged", and add that authorities don't plan on looking into it, you've got your bases covered. If they had just done that days ago, none of this would have been an issue.

In the end, I don't think ESPN entirely "swept this under the rug", but they have to understand that it will (and can) be perceived that way. It's also amazing that the web can now force ESPN's hand, when it comes to matters like these.

Update: Ben will speak on the lawsuit at 2pm, but won't be taking any questions. You can bet ESPN will air the press conference live.

ESPN explains position on Roethlisberger (PFT)
Authorities won't look at Roethlisberger (ESPN)

ESPN lets a lot of athletes through their "carwash" of interviews on a regular basis, and there's obviously some that they have cushy relationships with. However, it's honestly rare that they choose to ignore certain items, about said athletes, entirely. According to a few websites, Fang's Bites and PFT, the "Leader" is completely ignoring the fact that Ben Roethlisberger is being sued by woman in Nevada. Obviously saying that a pro athlete "sexually assaulted" you, has become taboo at this point, but there should absolutely be a mention of it somewhere. Via FB....

Despite news outlets picking it up, ESPN remains steadfast in its stubbornness to ignore the Ben Roethlisberger lawsuit story. Last night, it was reported by various media outlets including CBSSports.com, Yahoo!, Pro Football Talk and others that the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is being sued by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Roethlisberger in a Nevada hotel last year.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wonders if ESPN is attempting to protect a relationship with the quarterback. In the story, it's pointed out that Roethlisberger is appearing on ESPN corporate sibling ABC next month in Shaquille O'Neal's new reality show.

But shortly after 1 p.m. ET today, Florio discovers that ESPN has issued a strict "DO NOT REPORT" order, baffling its staffers. Thanks to the Sports Media Watch for the link.

So is ESPN protecting Roethlisberger to maintain a corporate relationship and access to the athlete? If it is, it's another arrow for critics to shoot at ESPN as allegations continue that the network gets too close to certain athletes it covers.

In addition, the network's silence on the story while others report is a hole too big to ignore. And the fact that ESPN jumped all over the Pacman Jones story while refusing to mention Ben Roethlisberger now gives the African American community fodder that the Alleged Worldwide Leader caters to white athletes.

While I don't think race is an issue in this case, I do think ESPN caters to the athletes that give them more appearances than others. I thought the "Leader" had made inroads last year when they hammered their darling Patriots during the whole "Cameragate" months, but apparently they've reverted back to their old ways.

ESPN Will Not Report Roethlisberger Story (Fang's Bites)
Source: ESPN issues "do not report" alert on Roethlisberger story (PFT)

ESPN has run-ins with athletes and coaches all the time (see: Sutcliffe, Rick), and you can add another one to the list. A week ago, ESPN ran with a report from two "sources" that said the Vikings had given Brett Favre a deadline to announce his intentions, but according to Childress....someone made it up.

If the Minnesota Vikings have given Brett Favre a deadline to come back, it's news to team's head coach.

"Absolutely not," Brad Childress told radio station KFAN in Minneapolis when asked about ESPN's report that the team had given Favre a deadline of this week to decide on his return. "Maybe by Deanna (Favre) or somebody like that, but certainly not from me. Not even — not even close. (I) don't know where that dropped out of the sky from. ...

"I don't know how you guys in that industry go about your sourcing," Childress added. "'A source that a source said.' I don't know. It's questionable. Very questionable."

ESPN reported the deadline on Monday, citing two unidentified sources.

Childress also said he's spoken with quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels about the situation and that he's not concerned the Favre saga will distract them.

While it appears that ESPN made up the deadline, they're not the only ones making things up. Rosenfels and Jackson have to be distracted by this, and if Childress and the Vikings don't give Favre a deadline, it could be the beginning of the end for the Vikings in 2009.

Oh and one more thing. It was definitely a great idea to hire Adam Schefter, because maybe now someone can get a report right (*ahem* Mortensen *cough*)

Childress blasts ESPN's report of Favre deadline (FOX)

This was about 6 months in the making, but ESPN officially added ex-NFLNer, Adam Schefter, to its stable of NFL reporters today. Schefter had been in a contract dispute with the NFL Network for awhile, and was waiting for his contract to run out. Schefter will join the "Leader" this August, and will continue to be based out of New York. Here are the details via ESPN....

Adam Schefter, one of the top National Football League reporters and insiders, will join ESPN as an NFL correspondent in August. Schefter, who worked for NFL Network, will appear on such programs as SportsCenter, NFL Live, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, as well as ESPNEWS throughout the year. He will write regular columns for ESPN.com and contribute to ESPN Radio and other platforms. Schefter will continue to be based in New York.

“Adam has covered the NFL for 20 years and he is widely respected for his professional approach and ability to uncover stories,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production. “He is a tremendous addition to our roster of NFL insiders who provide year-round coverage across ESPN’s platforms.”

Schefter added: “The name ESPN speaks for itself. Its reputation stands alone. I watched ESPN growing up, so to be a part of the programming that every football fan watches, and really has always watched, and to be a part of such a talented group of people, it’s surreal to me. It feels like I’m a late addition to the Pro Bowl. I’m flattered, honored, humbled - and I can’t wait to get to work.”

During the last year, Schefter established himself as perhaps the best reporter in the NFL. Obviously working for a channel owned by the league helped, but during the last two drafts, no one worked harder and brought more information than Schefter. The move also positions ESPN to be the breaking news king, with both Schefter and Chris Mortensen under their umbrella. This now means that Fox's Jay Glazer will have to work that much harder to stay on top of the pack.

I mentioned last week that ESPN planned to stalk Michael Vick as he left Leavenworth today. Well apparently Vick used his once elusive Football skills, to escape the "Leader's" (and every other media outlet) cameras. Here is Hannah Storm talking about just that with on-site reporter Kelly Naqi. Via Fang's Bites....

How funny is that? On the surface you would think it'd be virtually impossible to leave undetected, but that's obviously not the case. All that work for a shot of a random reporter standing in the wind outside of a prison. Good times.

In Case You Missed Vick's Release (Fangs Bites)

Michael Vick is being released from Levanworth on May 20th, and ESPN has released the details about who they are sending and where. Three reporters will be spread out from Leavenworth, Kan, to Hampton, Va, and Atlanta, and the network will air specials throughout the day. There will even be a one hour special that Tuesday. Via ESPN PR....

Michael Vick to be Released From Prison

Michael Vick will be released from Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas on May 20, then head to Hampton, Va. where he will be under home confinement. ESPN will provide live coverage from Kansas, Virginia and Atlanta, detail NFL reaction, and present a one-hour special Tuesday night.

On-site coverage (Tuesday, Wednesday)
In Leavenworth, Kan: Kelly Naqi
In Hampton, Va.: George Smith
In Atlanta: Darren Lyn

NFL Reaction (debut on Tuesday SportsCenters)
Reporter Ed Werder’s piece with reaction from a variety of NFL-related personalities speculating on Vick’s NFL future.

SportsCenter Special (ESPN2, Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Bob Ley will anchor a one-hour SportsCenter special with Mark Schlereth, Trent Dilfer, Herm Edwards, and Chris Mortensen.

ESPN.com’s Lester Munson will take an in-depth look at Michael Vick’s depleting finances and the people that targeted them, and interview Tony “Dogman” Taylor, one of the dogfighting associates who pleaded guilty and served time for the incident. John Clayton will also take a look at the five most likely landing spots for Vick when he returns to the NFL. The NFL Blog Network will also open up a discussion for debate on whether Vick should keep an open mind to switching positions. Additional columns and reactions from Len Pasquarelli and Pat Yasinskas will also be available on ESPN.com.

I guess the situation warrants the special, but to follow the guy halfway across the country is a little much. I also wonder exactly many people care that he's getting released. I'm guessing it's not as many as ESPN thinks.

You Thought Brett Favre Coverage was Overboard? Wait for Michael Vick... (Fang's Bites)

Chris Mortensen has stated that he has not spoken to Favre himself, or his agent since last week, but that isn't stopping the ESPN reporter from shooting down a report from one of his co-workers. Trent Dilfer said the other day that Favre texted him with an unequivocal "NO", when asked about his return to the NFL. But according to Mort, his buddy Favre was responding to something else.

Mortensen was on Mike & Mike this morning, and when the subject of Favre and Dilfer came up, he stated that he believed Brett to be answering the question of whether he had hired a personal trainer. Here's the audio....

While Mortensen could certainly be right (and lord knows Greenberg is, about everyone being sick of this), but completely disregarding a colleague's report about the situation is pretty messed up. It's not like that is a first for Mort though.

Mort Tries To Explain Favre's Text Message To Dilfer (Pro Football Talk)

The tribute at home plate in Baseball has only been done twice. Once with Babe Ruth, and once with Jack Buck in St. Louis. Well this weekend it will be done a third time with legendary Phils' announcer, Harry Kalas' casket being displayed at Citizens Park Field. From ESPN via SbB....

The casket containing the body of Hall of Fame Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas will be on view beginning at 8:45 a.m. ET Saturday at home plate at Citizens Bank Park.

Fans will be able to file past Kalas' casket and pay their respects for about four hours, after which there will be a memorial service.

Kalas died Monday after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

It will be the second time a baseball figure will be honored this way at a major league ballpark since Aug. 17, 1948, when Babe Ruth's casket was on view at Yankee Stadium.

The Phillies organization, which decided to honor Kalas in this historic way, will fly the team's flag at half-staff. Gates will open at 8 a.m. ET.

Just an amazing gesture for a man that defined an entire city. Everyone should stop by and pay their respects to a great individual and broadcaster. Good on ya, Phillies.

Kalas’ Casket to be On Display at Phillies’ Ballpark (Sports by Brooks)
Kalas' casket to be on view in ballpark (ESPN)

Brian Windhorst, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has broken just about every single Cavaliers story/trade that's gone down over the past few years. He had the Mo Williams information first, and more recently, had the Joe Smith deal before anyone else. Most people would speak highly of someone with such a stellar record of finding things out, but apparently ESPN's Ric Bucher isn't most people.

Bucher is the latest person to head onto the B.S. Report, and the NBA analyst decided to take a few shots at the CPD writer. Via Cursed Cleveland....

“The Plain Dealer came out and said very early on that Joe Smith was going to the Cavs, but I know as early as yesterday that there was a chance it could have come apart and he could have been headed to the Lakers… it got a little contentious… at the end of the day does the Plain Dealer look wrong…? No, because he ended up there, but were they completely on the beam… maybe not?

And so, my issue now is right now is....You have people who put things there, that are not couched, that put it out there early because they want to be first, and then they're not right. There's no culpability, there's no okay...this is going to happen and it didn't."

Seems rather petty to use the culpability, when there's not a reporter or ESPN personality that every apologizes for getting things wrong. I don't know what Bucher's beef with Windhorst is, but this seems like someone being jealous of a beat writer's talent.

Ric Bucher Rips Plain Dealer and Brian Windhorst’s Reportage (Cursed Cleveland)

I personally thought Peter Gammons did a great job in his interview with Alex Rodriguez, but some people are not agreeing today, namely Sports Illustrated. SI writer Jeff Pearlman has criticized the ESPNer for not sticking up for Pearlman's co-worker, Serena Roberts, and Gammons is now apologizing for not doing so. Via an email to Deadspin....

I think in retrospect, I should have interrupted the Arod rant. My first question asked if Selena's story were true, he essentially admitted it was, and I believed she was therefore vindicated. I usually don't get into grudges, and felt he was promoting her book, which will be her response. I was trying to get Alex in his own words, but Jeff's criticism has merit that I accept.

Pearlman called Gammons the "Larry King of sports", and while I think that's a little harsh, I can sort of see how some would feel that way. The only problem is that both MLB (who has a new deal with ESPN), and Scott Boras, probably were all over the questions that were asked, and ESPN obviously wanted to be delicate with the piece. That's obviously not an excuse to avoid getting to the bottom of things, but it might explain the tone a bit more.

Oh and one more thing. I know it's slow now that Football is over, ESPN, but good lord! I've seen this damn interview about 40 times now!!! There was some Basketball played yesterday right? Hockey perhaps??? I know what will get us to forget about all this A-Rod nonsense. PETTTTTERRRRRR GAMMMMMMONNNNSSSS!

Ah...that's better.

Peter Gammons is the Larry King of sports television (Jeff Pearlman)
Peter Gammons Regrets Not Sticking Up For Roberts (Deadspin)

I know I go overboard when it comes to Chris Mortensen, and I know that people hate Stephen A. Smith posts, but I just couldn't pass up this comparison on the heels of the Chris Bosh rumors. Stephen A. came out last week and said that Chris Bosh was telling the Raptors that he wasn't resigning with the team, and that Toronto was looking into trading the All-Star. Both Bosh and management said that the whole story was entirely made up and to not listen to the ESPN analyst, but Smith is fighting back the best way he can. By blogging about it!

In case anyone didn't comprehend what I reported first on ESPNews Sunday morning, then SportsCenter Monday night, let me be clear: My sources tell me Chris Bosh wants out of Toronto. Preferably before 2010, when he's free to opt out of his contract. They've also informed me Bosh has quietly made the Raptors aware of this, that he wouldn't mind interest from Miami or Dallas, at all, and that he's hopeful his days as a Raptor will come to an end sooner than when the LeBron James' Sweepstakes hits the fan in 2010.

Both Bosh and Raptors' President, Bryan Colangelo have emphatically denied Bosh has made the Raptors aware of anything. Feel free to believe them if you want to. And while you're at it, feel free to to conveniently forget that Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter all echoed similar sentiments before they skipped town, too.

I find it hard to believe that anyone working at an organization as large as ESPN, would be in the habit of making up stories, but I could be wrong. I also thought that the "Leader" was phasing out Screamin' A., but apparently they're keeping around for the controversy. As far as Bosh goes, you know he's leaving but he has to deny it because I'm sure he doesn't want the Vinsanity treatment when he returns.

Boshed (Stephen A. Smith)

Another interesting crossover happened during Media Day on the NFL Network. A panel including NFL News Breakers, Jay Glazer of FOX, Michael Silver of Yahoo and Adam Schefter of the NFL-N, discussed reporting on the league and "journalistic integrity". You can even catch a slight jab at the one NFL reporter missing from the round table....

The panel was obviously missing that one key participant that Glazer took said jab at, but that certainly could have been by design. Great discussion all around, and it's interesting that the two up-and-comers are actually friendly and respectful of each other. I don't really know what was going on with Silver's glasses, but great points from him on the Internet side of things as well.

Oh and speaking of Mort, is he even in Tampa today? I haven't seen him moseying around among the masses at all.

There are really only three reporters who are in the running for the NFL's top stories each week and those are Jay Glazer of FOX, Chris Mortensen of ESPN and Adam Schefter of the NFL Network. Schefter was relatively quiet the past few years, but after owning Mortensen during the 2008 NFL Draft, he did some excellent reporting and probably slid into the two-spot in the hierarchy of "NFL Breaking News Reporters".

Well all last week, Mort was trumpeting the fact that he had a source saying that Mike Shanahan would be replacing Herm Edwards in Kansas City. While that seems like a great storyline, and a seemingly good replacement, Schefter is here to tell you that it's false....entirely false....

Despite rampant reports that the Chiefs are negotiating with former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan to replace Herm Edwards, they are not, sources said Friday.

The Chiefs never have made any contact with Shanahan — never. And there have been no contract negotiations.

So unless people I have known for years are blatantly lying to me, Shanahan will not be the next coach of the Chiefs. It’s not happening. People can keep talking as if it is, but it’s not. Shanahan will not be the coach of the Chiefs in 2009.

Obviously I've taken quite a few shots at Mort over the years, but when is the guy ever right? I mean seriously. If we're talking percentages here, Glazer is probably above 75-80% accurate when breaking news, Schefter is close to that as well, but Mort is probably under 30% with stories over the past year. As I've said before, if this was any other job, that kind of performance wouldn't be tolerated.

Glazer has already taken his shot(s) at Mort in the media, so it seems it's Schefter's turn now. Let's get this battle cooking guys, because I'm already bored with Media Week, and it hasn't even started.

Shanahan isn’t a candidate in Kansas City (NFL.com)