2021-2022 NFL Season

[Jockey]

The other difference is that Gruden apparently aggressively went after Goddell in the emails and called him names.

Seems like this was all a bit of revenge. Gruden is taking a fall, because he called the man behind the curtain some bad words.

Absolutely. You are spot on. The NFL was gonna get Gruden. The most interesting thing is that they have released no emails concerning any other executives.

[Pakuni]

Yep.

https://twitter.com/john_keim/status/1448028928640159745

[JWags85]

Yep.

https://twitter.com/john_keim/status/1448028928640159745

And the NFL will shrug and flip them the proverbial bird

[Pakuni]

Not a great look for Adam Schefter today.
Not that it's particularly surprising, either.

[jficke13]

Not a great look for Adam Schefter today.
Not that it's particularly surprising, either.

fun to watch the NFL leaking for maximum smoke screen to protect the real story in the Wash/Snyder investigation and everyone falling all over themselves to take the bait.

[Pakuni]

fun to watch the NFL leaking for maximum smoke screen to protect the real story in the Wash/Snyder investigation and everyone falling all over themselves to take the bait.

Safe to say Schefter at some point said something that offended Roger (or Jerry, Robert, Stan, Dan, etc.).

[jficke13]

Safe to say Schefter at some point said something that offended Roger (or Jerry, Robert, Stan, Dan, etc.).

Maybe? He might also be a shiny object that makes for an easy PR win to those doing the leaking. Everyone understood he was part of the transactional NLF press "scoop" apparatus, and he'd become such an ever-present face of that apparatus, that this leak makes for a guaranteed freakout... which is exactly what happened. To the extent that the NFL's strategy here is to through chaff in the air and hope the missile misses the real target (and I think it is), they're executing well.

[MUBurrow]

Not a great look for Adam Schefter today.
Not that it's particularly surprising, either.

My favorite part is Rovell entering the chat to show his ass for minimal gain as only he knows how.

[MUBurrow]

Safe to say Schefter at some point said something that offended Roger (or Jerry, Robert, Stan, Dan, etc.).

Maybe? He might also be a shiny object that makes for an easy PR win to those doing the leaking. Everyone understood he was part of the transactional NLF press "scoop" apparatus, and he'd become such an ever-present face of that apparatus, that this leak makes for a guaranteed freakout... which is exactly what happened. To the extent that the NFL's strategy here is to through chaff in the air and hope the missile misses the real target (and I think it is), they're executing well.

I'm guessing these are both correct.  My total guess is that some in the NFL secret society think that Schefter had gotten drunk on his own success and started to go rogue - i.e. no longer acting as a 100% mouthpiece for the shield.  Once that happened, like Gruden, throwing him under the bus was killing two birds with one stone - making an example of someone and distracting from the WFT investigation.

[cheebs09]

My favorite part is Rovell entering the chat to show his ass for minimal gain as only he knows how.

A tradition unlike any other.

[jficke13]

I'm guessing these are both correct.  My total guess is that some in the NFL secret society think that Schefter had gotten drunk on his own success and started to go rogue - i.e. no longer acting as a 100% mouthpiece for the shield.  Once that happened, like Gruden, throwing him under the bus was killing two birds with one stone - making an example of someone and distracting from the WFT investigation.

This seems very plausible too.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

It's how the sausage is made.  Schefter is more the mouthpiece of the league paid by ESPN for his exclusivity more than he is a "reporter" or "journalist."  99% of the people who watch ESPN for this type of insider information don't really care.  99% of the true journalists do care because it further de-legitimizes their profession and/or prevents them from getting access to such information.

[Jockey]

And the NFL will shrug and flip them the proverbial bird

I think it is way worse than that, Wags. This is about way more than Gruden. He was the sacrificial lamb (a guilty one) because Goddell has long wanted to be rid of him. The NFL still has 65,000 emails and it is naive of us to think Gruden was the only one who said anything like this. At the very least, they should show us the replies by Allen. Did he "LOL" back to Gruden? Did he laugh and play along on the racist and misogynist emails? Were other executives cc'ed on them? If so, then who? Did Allen pass along the naked pics of team cheerleaders and to whom?

Is the NFL keeping control of incriminating emails to use in the future against a coach or exec who doesn't bend to the League's will?

Then there is the issue of 'why now?' Is it all because the NFL wanted sympathy for Smith because they wanted him in control because they thought he was easier to work with; easier to 'roll'? Then, releasing the emails now took care of 2 problems at once. Getting rid of a nemesis and ensuring that Smith remained in charge of the union.

More than anything else, the NFL needs to answer a lot of questions. But as you posted, "And the NFL will shrug and flip them the proverbial bird".

[jesmu84]

https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/1448269340441255938?t=arq92mfYKVAIfxsGOrD8Pg&s=19

[StillAWarrior]

So, what is the appropriate way for Urban Meyer to respond to the Gruden situation? Does he need to send Gruden a gift? Or will a thank you card suffice?

[Herman Cain]

It's how the sausage is made.  Schefter is more the mouthpiece of the league paid by ESPN for his exclusivity more than he is a "reporter" or "journalist."  99% of the people who watch ESPN for this type of insider information don't really care.  99% of the true journalists do care because it further de-legitimizes their profession and/or prevents them from getting access to such information.

I have been on both sides of the content side of media industry . I had to create  content on a daily basis ; I also provided access to media of potential content. Many times we wrote the first draft of the story for the media. There is a symbiotic relationship between the two parties. If you carefully look at many “stories” they are basically restatements of the press releases with some transition language.


This co-dependency exists because Media needs to come up with content every day. Almost everything in the “News” is manufactured by this collaboration. This is necessary because of the 24/7/365 nature of the new cycle

I have also been on the advertising side of the business. There used to be what was called a separation of church and state . That being advertisers could not influence content. Those barriers have pretty much fallen. This started with the advertorials that were created as inserts to major magazines and just steamrolled from there.

[Pakuni]

This co-dependency exists because Media needs to come up with content every day. Almost everything in the “News” is manufactured by this collaboration. This is necessary because of the 24/7/365 nature of the new cycle

I have also been on the advertising side of the business. There used to be what was called a separation of church and state . That being advertisers could not influence content. Those barriers have pretty much fallen. This started with the advertorials that were created as inserts to major magazines and just steamrolled from there.

Having spent many years working for a new organization, I can say that much of what your write here is entirely foreign to me.
In my experience, advertisers almost never influence content, and when they do, it's indirectly, such as when an in-house ad rep tells the editorial side about a new business opening in town.
In my experience, PR firms never write first drafts of stories.
In my experience, reporters and editors do not "collaborate" with PR firms over stories, beyond getting access to information and setting up interviews with sources.
And just for good measure, no news organization I've worked for has ever (to my knowledge) allowed a source to review and edit a story before publication.

The only thing you write here that has some semblance of familiarity is that re-worked press releases can make it to publication, but that's typically via government sources (i.e. police, cities, school districts), not PR firms and advertisers.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

My wife has been quoted for various trade publications and general mainstream periodicals.  She usually finds out what she "said" when the PR firm sends the final version to her for her approval and/or clarification.

[jficke13]

Having spent many years working for a new organization, I can say that much of what your write here is entirely foreign to me.
In my experience, advertisers almost never influence content, and when they do, it's indirectly, such as when an in-house ad rep tells the editorial side about a new business opening in town.
In my experience, PR firms never write first drafts of stories.
In my experience, reporters and editors do not "collaborate" with PR firms over stories, beyond getting access to information and setting up interviews with sources.
And just for good measure, no news organization I've worked for has ever (to my knowledge) allowed a source to review and edit a story before publication.

The only thing you write here that has some semblance of familiarity is that re-worked press releases can make it to publication, but that's typically via government sources (i.e. police, cities, school districts), not PR firms and advertisers.

I guess it depends on what news outlets we're talking about. When I was at a B2B marketing firm in their PR department we straight up wrote the byline stories we pitched to trade publications. We wrote the pull quotes for the executive teams. We wrote the pitches that would place the articles that we wrote in those trades. I can imagine that NEVER happening at a "traditional news" organization like the AP/NYT/etc.

Either way, I think it's a bit silly to compare either college intern me writing a byline for a PE firm or Woodward and Bernstein writing for the Post to how the NFL gets covered by ESPN.

[Pakuni]

I guess it depends on what news outlets we're talking about. When I was at a B2B marketing firm in their PR department we straight up wrote the byline stories we pitched to trade publications. We wrote the pull quotes for the executive teams. We wrote the pitches that would place the articles that we wrote in those trades. I can imagine that NEVER happening at a "traditional news" organization like the AP/NYT/etc.

Either way, I think it's a bit silly to compare either college intern me writing a byline for a PE firm or Woodward and Bernstein writing for the Post to how the NFL gets covered by ESPN.

Sure, I can speak to only my experience, which was at what would be considered a traditional news organization, not a trade publication.

[shoothoops]

5 year legal case of Stl vs Kroenke/NFL.

Kroenke plus the 5 person relocation committee at the time were required to turn over financials/assets. Only 2 of the 6 did so by the deadline.

Mara, Hunt, Jones, Kraft now have a December 3rd deadline to turn over their financials prior to that time. There is a December 3rd hearing scheduled for contempt of court and a default judgement ruled if they don’t. The owners were ordered to pay delay fines and legal fees. ($25k for fines and $25k legal fees)

Richardson and Kroenke turned over their financial documents.

Kroenke turned over 23,000 financial documents showing his assets.

[Jockey]

5 year legal case of Stl vs Kroenke/NFL.

Kroenke plus the 5 person relocation committee at the time were required to turn over financials/assets. Only 2 of the 6 did so by the deadline.

Mara, Hunt, Jones, Kraft now have a December 3rd deadline to turn over their financials prior to that time. There is a December 3rd hearing scheduled for contempt of court and a default judgement ruled if they don’t. The owners were ordered to pay delay fines and legal fees. ($25k for fines and $25k legal fees)

Richardson and Kroenke turned over their financial documents.

Kroenke turned over 23,000 financial documents showing his assets.

These people think they are above the law.

They probably are. Court orders meaningless. Subpoenas are something to be laughed at.

[JWags85]

These people think they are above the law.

They probably are. Court orders meaningless. Subpoenas are something to be laughed at.

Its a civil suit, not a criminal proceeding, 90% of the time it doesn't matter who was right or wrong, just who has better lawyers and who is willing to drag it out longer.

[Uncle Rico]

https://twitter.com/journalsentinel/status/1448412252713914374?s=21

Who knew Brent was such a bad person and lover of government cheese?

[Jockey]

https://twitter.com/journalsentinel/status/1448412252713914374?s=21

Who knew Brent was such a bad person and lover of government cheese?

Um...., everyone?

(Yes, I know your last statement was sarcasm.)