Breaking: Mort Backs Out; Dennis Claims Kensil As the Source ofthe Bad Numbers

RobertWeathers · Jul 31, 2015

Patriot Missile said:
Kensil has got to make sure that he still has Mortenen before he can do that.

Mort could out him. Mort could out ESPN.

He could be the Linda Tripp of this whole thing.

dales804 · Jul 31, 2015

robertweathers said:
Mort could out him. Mort could out ESPN.

He could be the Linda Tripp of this whole thing.

Who could forget this?

RobertWeathers · Jul 31, 2015

dales804 said:
Who could forget this?

OMG! Hysterical.

50-yard-line · Jul 31, 2015

Who wrote the other big lie story that immediately began circulating - the one about Jackson intercepting the ball and noticing that it felt deflated?

Was that the puke from Indy? Or another Mortenson piece?

Rusty Coupe · Jul 31, 2015

Patriot Missile said:
Kensil has got to make sure that he still has Mortenen before he can do that.

I wonder if Mort ever asked Kensil anything about it after the fact, or have they spoken since?

RobertWeathers · Jul 31, 2015

Rusty Coupe said:
I wonder if Mort ever asked Kensil anything about it after the fact, or have they spoken since?

That would be a great question to ask during a deposition.

RobertWeathers · Jul 31, 2015

50-yard-line said:
Who wrote the other big lie story that immediately began circulating - the one about Jackson intercepting the ball and noticing that it felt deflated?

Was that the puke from Indy? Or another Mortenson piece?

Not sure but Jackson quickly shot that down.

Hes another pawn in this mess.

Fencer · Jul 31, 2015

XLIX said:
To clarify an earlier point:

Dennis just said "Kensil is the one, I'm told, who leaked the story." (emphasis mine)

Earlier I stated that it sounded like Dennis was just repeating the same speculation we have all been making for months. Just now he stated that he was told this information. He didn't give an ounce of clarity regarding who told him, but it seems he is reporting something he heard instead of just speculating.

Yes, but what was the basis of belief for the person who told him -- speculation, or more?

JJC · Jul 31, 2015

Remember the SAT exam questions that ask you to match analogies?

Mortensen::Brady
Refusing to divulge source::Refusing to hand over cell phone

Neither of them has any obligation to hand over the information in question and neither of them is guilty of anything. They actions are entirely defensible and appropriate. As the media has abused Brady on the cell phone, the same should be done to Mort. Right now, he is the weak link in the NFL's racket. Go after him hard and relentlessly. Go after Steven A. Smith as well, hard and relentlessly. Smith can't help himself and his emotion will eventually cause him to slip up and divulge something that can get us a lead into the NFL offices. Mort will be harder to crack, since he is older and a more moderate personality - but he has a legacy to protect. He doesn't want to be the focal point, so make him the focal point and force him to deflect attention onto someone else when he can't stand the scrutiny.

Fencer · Jul 31, 2015

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:
Mortensen could have retracted his report as soon as he knew it was wrong, even if it was only when the Wells report came out. He wouldn't have to name names, just say "Sorry, I was wrong to trust my source".

So Mort gets no free pass. He is UNETHICAL to keep standing by his report.

At this point, he isn't exactly standing by it.

He's crouching, hoping nobody notices that it was wrong.

Fencer · Jul 31, 2015

Sticky Caulk said:
That's the only angle Jason Whitlock can see. A bigger story would be "Whitlock didn't see a race issue."

Whitlock also has a column out saying "Yes, this is totally unfair. Now you know what it feels like, rich white guys."

Fencer · Jul 31, 2015

hambone1818 said:
Yup...though I will say, aren't you supposed to have two sources to run with anything like this? Mortensen was right to trust a high-ranking NFL official (in theory) but did he or didn't he confirm the sources info? If he did then who was source number 2, if he didn't then shame on Mort for not doing his due diligence on the biggest leak in sports in years.

And further, we can only hope that Mort is pissed at the way he was used to pump a fake story. After the Wells report was released he must have been floored. I truly get the sense that he's a good journalist and a good person, he works for a ****ty organization but I think he tries to do things the right way. He can't just out his sources, he'd be done in the business, but he has to be wondering why the F they never came back to him to correct the story. Maybe that's why he's rooting for Brady to get this wiped, and it's possible that Dennis got his 'leak' from Mort. Not likely, but it may be a bit of retribution without having to say it himself and ruining his career.

Two sources is a rule of thumb, and perhaps an actual rule at many journalistic organizations. But it's not ironclad.

Kdo5 · Jul 31, 2015

I do appreciate D&C's show today as much as I dislike them. They could just join in on the parade and as one person already said, "dance on the Patriots grave" but instead they've gone in on exposing the NFL and backing the Patriots side of the story. Seeking publicity? Sure. But unlike most they are talking about the right things and I appreciate that.

As for what was said, we knew much of it already. We strongly suspected Kensil was one of the responsible league officials, validating the Patriots claim that he threatened one of the Pats employees, "You are in big ****ing trouble". Along with what Curran has said it has to have been Kensil who distributed the leak or at least one of them.

That Shefter has also indicated that Mort received bad sources only confirms that this was a set up. The cell phone destruction narrative was the NFL's last gasp attempt to cover its ass. And it seemed to work...for now.

**** this is so maddening. And Mort what a weasel.

Rusty Coupe · Jul 31, 2015

It made USA Today

ESPN’s highly respected NFL reporter Chris Mortensen pulled out of a scheduled interview with Boston’s WEEI on Friday morning after he said that the radio network made “me the centerpiece of a story that his been misrepresented far beyond anything I did in the first 48 hours.”

Mortensen was the writer of the infamous report, written the Wednesday after the AFC championship, that said an NFL investigation found that 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what’s required by NFL regulation. The Wells Report later found that only one football was deflated by nearly that much, while others were just under the standard inflation level. The NFL, despite knowing that the original report was untrue, never corrected it, basically leaving Mortensen out to dry despite the fact that his report came from sources inside the league.
ESPN’s highly respected NFL reporter Chris Mortensen pulled out of a scheduled interview with Boston’s WEEI on Friday morning after he said that the radio network made “me the centerpiece of a story that his been misrepresented far beyond anything I did in the first 48 hours.”

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/chris-mortensen-deflategate-report-pulls-out-boston-radio-weei

The Brandon Five · Jul 31, 2015

Fencer said:
Whitlock also has a column out saying "Yes, this is totally unfair. Now you know what it feels like, rich white guys."

Does Whitlock think black athletes aren't rich?

reflexblue · Jul 31, 2015

In the end whether that be in a few weeks, months or years, the truth will come out. This is just to big a story with to many players and ego's involved to kept it under wraps. And in the end Brady and the pats will be vindicated.

ausbacker · Jul 31, 2015

The Brandon Five said:
Does Whitlock think black athletes aren't rich?

That feels like a position Jemele Hill would argue.

juny · Jul 31, 2015

deadspin also running with the Mort false report
http://deadspin.com/chris-mortensen-wont-talk-about-being-fed-false-info-by-1721285120

Fencer · Jul 31, 2015

The Brandon Five said:
Does Whitlock think black athletes aren't rich?

He thinks they aren't white.

eom · Jul 31, 2015

XLIX said:
John Dennis' "surprise reason" is the strong dislike in the league office for anything and everything Belichick. "They had nothing on Bill but to get to Bill, the best way to get to him is to take his main weapon away in Tom Brady."

that's a surprise reason?

I wonder how belichick will look when he's beating ass for 4 games with grapeoppolo

Breaking: Mort Backs Out; Dennis Claims Kensil As the Source ofthe Bad Numbers

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