ESPN reporter Adam Schefter , under fire for giving an NFL team a pre-publication look at his story and investing with potential news sources, has responded with a statement, Schefter, one of the top reporters on the National Football League for the network, is being criticized for sending an email containing a full draft of a story on the league’s collective bargaining agreement to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen, asking for a fact-check. He called Allen “Mr. Editor” and asked for suggestions on potential changes in the story. Both tactics are considered taboo by reputable journalists. Schefter’s email came to light after emails from the NFL’s investigation into the Washington Football Team’s culture emerged. The emails were part of an estimated 650,000 uncovered during the investigation, but only a handful were released to media. Insensitive and racially charged comments by Las Vegas Raiders Coach Jon Gruden in one set of emails led to him stepping …
ESPN Veteran Reporter Allison Williams Out Over Disney Vaccination Mandate – Update
UPDATE: Allison Williams is officially leaving ESPN for good for refusing to comply with the Disney vaccine mandate. The college football and basketball sideline reporter earlier said that she was opting out for the season. She said she and her husband were trying for a second child. But on Friday night, she said that her “request for accommodation” was denied. As a result, Williams said, she will be “separated from the company.” “Belief is a word I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this,” Williams said in an Instagram video . “And I’ve had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I need to put them first. “And the irony in all this is that a lot of those same values and principals I hold so dear are what made me a really good employee and probably helped …
Awesome, Baby: Dick Vitale Extends ESPN Contract
Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, who 32 years ago took a gig at then-fledging ESPN as a temp job in-between basketball coaching assignments, has signed a new extension with the sports cable channel that will keep him at ESPN through the 2014-2015 season. Vitale called ESPN’s first-ever major NCAA basketball game – Wisconsin at DePaul on Dec. 5, 1979. He has been at the cable channel ever since, calling more than a thousand games. “Simply put, Dick Vitale is college basketball,” ESPN’s EVP Norby Williamson said. During his tenure, Vitale has introduced such “Vitale-isms” as “Awesome, Baby!,” “Get a TO, Baby!” and “PTP’er.” …
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ESPN College Basketball Announcer Dick Vitale Announces Lymphoma Diagnosis
ESPN college basketball announcer Dick Vitale revealed Monday that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma after being diagnosed and treated for melanoma this summer. After several tests over the past few weeks, doctors confirmed the new form of cancer is unrelated to his previous experience with the disease. Vitale will be receiving chemotherapy and reports that the prognosis is good. The ESPN veteran will be on the mic during the upcoming college basketball season and is under contract with ESPN through 2021-22. In a statement via ESPN , he says, “I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that cancer can have on families, on children, and on all of our loved ones. It can bring you to your knees. It’s physically and emotionally exhausting. It robs you of so many things, including life itself for some of the most unfortunate patients. I never lose sight of that, and that’s why I feel so lucky.” Vitale credits early detection and screening for helping him to manage …
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NHL Live Stream: How to Watch the 2021-22 Hockey Season Online
Products featured are independently selected by our editorial team and we may earn a commission from purchases made from our links; the retailer may also receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The 2021-2022 NHL season is here, with 32 teams battling it out on the ice for a chance to play for the 2022 Stanley Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the current Stanley Cup champions and will be looking to repeat. Vegas oddsmakers have the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Las Vegas Golden Knights as top Cup contenders as well. How to Buy NHL Tickets Online After a year of playing to empty arenas due to Covid precautions, all the teams are offering in-person attendance this year, though some arenas will limit capacity and keep social distancing in place. If you want to buy hockey tickets online, we like using VividSeats.com, which has tickets available for all of the top games. Keep in mind that each arena will have its own safety protocol so it’s …
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Jay Williams Says People Are Telling Him To Kill Himself For Defending Kyrie Irving
ESPN analyst Jay Williams says people are wishing for his death after defending Kyrie Irving 's COVID-19 vaccine stance ... going on a emotional rant slamming the hateful messages he's gotten this week. Of course, J Will got in a heated debate with Stephen A. Smith on "First Take" this week ... saying while he doesn't personally agree with the decision, he believes Kyrie has every right to do what he wants with his body. Williams says the hate has been flooding in following his appearance ... noting people have been spewing terrible things at him for not denouncing KI's position ... and mentioning his tragic motorcycle accident in 2003. "Thank God I almost passed away when I was 21 years old," Jay said. "You know some of the crazy s*** that people say to me on the internet when they disagree with my opinion? Go hit a pole, go die again, aww Duke education." "Thank God I went through that experience, 'cause I don't need other people to justify how I think about …
Scott Zolak’s Second Act: How a Backup QB Conquered Patriots Nation
I t’s Sunday morning in Massachusetts, four hours before the undefeated New England Patriots presumably roll over the Washington Redskins, and Scott Zolak – former pro quarterback turned sports -talk cult hero – is already in the building, greeted with cheers and beers wherever he goes. “I like smelling the sausages, talking to people out in the parking lot. I’m starting to get free beers after the game – you can’t drink while you’re on the air,” he says with a laugh. “I walk the field, get the feel of gameday. The NFL is a great product, as many problems as it has, whether it is domestic violence, or Greg Hardy or the ridiculousness of caring about PSI of a football . People watch this. This is why people gamble.” Gameday is a whirlwind of activity for Zolak. He’s already interviewed Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick for Boston’s 98.5, “The Sports Hub.” He has to shoot two TV spots for the local CBS affiliate. He has to do a pregame radio segment. And he has to stop and …
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The Persecution of Patriots Nation
W e were all so innocent back on January 18, when the New England Patriots destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC championship game. Tom Brady was just another supermodel-loving quarterback with an eye on a fourth Super Bowl ring. Ted Wells and Richard Berman were only household names amongst the more dedicated members of the greater New York legal community. And no one in the media could reasonably claim any expertise in the basics of football PSI measurement. It was all so long ago – eight-plus months that have felt more like years. What started out as seemingly small-time rumblings from the Indianapolis press ballooned into a national scandal of hilariously epic proportions, one that carried through Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, and back across the country to the NFL offices at 345 Park Avenue. After months of investigations and doses of discipline meted out from commissioner Roger Goodell, Brady was suspended four games for his alleged awareness that team …
Jay Williams Fires Back At Kevin Durant, ‘I Stand By My Story’
ESPN 8:54 AM PT -- 6/9 -- Williams is finally responding to KD ... saying the incident 100% happened, but admitting he was "probably wrong" for airing out the interaction in public. "I stand by my story," JWill said on ESPN Wednesday ... adding he's done going back and forth over the ordeal. “I stand by my story” @RealJayWilliams responds to Kevin Durant disputing the story he told on yesterday’s show pic.twitter.com/RCXq0wOv3C — Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin (@KeyJayandZ) June 9, 2021 @KeyJayandZ "I wish KD nothing but love and all the best success. I hope they win a championship." No word on whether Durant will respond ... but it appears Williams is waving the white flag. Kevin Durant is calling Jay Williams out for allegedly fabricating an entire story on national TV ... saying the whole thing is a "f***in' lie." Here's the deal -- Williams recently shared an interaction he claims he had with KD at a holiday party a few years ago …
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Former Titans GM on Avoiding Colin Kaepernick Hire: ‘Don’t Want This Circus’
Floyd Reese, the general manager of the Tennessee Titans from 1994 until 2006, offered three reasons why he believes the franchise decided to sign Brandon Weeden instead of Colin Kaepernick this week to be their backup quarterback – a move that angered many NFL fans . The first, Reese argues, is that Kaepernick doesn’t fit the scheme. Whereas someone like Marcus Mariota moves to throw, Reese said, Kaepernick is most comfortable “moving to run.” Secondly, since Kaepernick isn’t a “pocket passer,” Reese explained, it will be easier for the Titans to integrate Weeden, who knows he has to “conform exactly to whatever it is they want.” With Kaepernick, Reese says, teams will feel an obligation to “adjust the offense for him to give him a chance.” “This is what people that want you to sign Kaepernick always go to – always the numbers. The stats,” Reese said on ESPN Nashville’s “Jared & The GM” this week . “They go, well, he completed this many and he’s got this many wins. …