Patriots Rumor ESPN hitpiece on Patriots (Rift with Brady/Belichick/Kraft) - Merged

[Former Fan]

You can’t fault a man for earning a living to feed his family. With most sports outlets and newspapers folding he really doesn’t have many options. He’s working for the enemy so he can take care of his family, that’s one of the most unselfish things a man can do. I think he has an ill child too. I Would so the same in his shoes.

That's fine. If he wants to sell his integrity, that's his right. It's my right to shun his work.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

If I call you a pedophile right here and you defend yourself your defending response would be -- and lets be real -- PR boilerplate that would be issued word-for-word the same regardless of how false or how true my claims are.

And you'd be correct. That's why my denial in your scenario -- and the NE statement in real life -- carry no information whatsoever. They would be issued, word-for-word the same, regardless of the truth or falsity of the accusation they are responding to.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Watch goodell dock us another 1st rounder over this...

 

[bormio]

That future SB with Jimmy and Brady is going to be quite the event.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Great post.

POTY candidate only 5 days in.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

That future SB with Jimmy and Brady is going to be quite the event.

It would be beyond awesome if that happened next year.

 

[Nikolai]

ESPN publishes this bs and fans seem to hate it but I see some giving it validity. But Reiss defends the team and people hate him for it. I think some of our fans are truly confused. It’s like deflategate all over again.

Some "fans" (read: trolls) here give it validity and apparently, the NFLN isn't even addressing the story, so it looks like it was an attempt by BSPN to create another "gate" but it's coming back to smack them in the face.

Actual, insider footage of BSPN's editorial bureau.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Tom Curran did write his version of the Wickersham article on December 29, minus the tone of impending doom, etc. Patriots run feels like it's winding down

I'd really love to know how the sausage is made on these kind of National Writer pieces where they swoop in and publish the types of stories that end up being published.

What drew Wick to the story in the first place? What're the motivations of Wickersham's sources - if any?

Also, I feel like stories like this end up having their own effect on the parties mentioned. Here, it seems like BB, Brady, and Kraft will got he extra mile to show they're 'united' etc, and perhaps in the process clear the air of the dust that'd been gathering around them - all of which was almost certainly unspoken - which lead to speculation from staffers (apparently - according to both Curran and the Wickersham piece).

The piece that Curran posted was just plain factual. Yes, he observed that a 40 year old QB, coach pushing 70 and owner pushing 80 are probably near the end of their run. I mean... yeah? That's kinda common sense. It's worth writing, sure, but it's not exactly breaking info. I don't see that being his version of the Wickersham piece at all, because it doesn't allege much of anything. It touches a little bit on how Brady clearly wants to build a brand with Guerrerro and that he probably didn't like Garoppolo being his heir apparent, both of which, again, are just a common sense reading of publicly known facts.

What defines the Wickersham piece is the various specific claims it makes about strained relationships between Brady/Belichick/Kraft, and Curran not only stayed far away from that in his own piece, but today has made it clear that his own sources disagree on pretty much all of the specific claims Wickersham made.

 

[luuked]

Lombardi's reaction via GM Street is out now. Not listened yet but curious what his take will be.

 

[Huckleberry1]

It's nice to see but be real -- that's PR boilerplate and would have been issued word-for-word the same regardless of how false or how true Wickersham's article is.

All the unnamed sources you want to believe = true

What Belichick, Brady, and Kraft say on the record = false

 

[AtomicDawg]

This guy is doing more defending of his story than Johnmy Cochran for OJ.

 

[FourierSeries]

 

[signbabybrady]

Reiss has journalistic standards. He cares more about being right than being first to print. The result is that he rarely breaks stories, since there's always someone willing to throw the story out there based on a random tip from an uncorroborated source or whatever, but when he says something he says it with credibility. The rest of the sports media needs to be more like him, not less.

He doesn't have to be first but how about after the fact do some journalism and actually refute or confirm the story. I get the feeling he just ignores these big stories not to hurt his standing on the beat.

He mostly stood on the sideline in deflategate and his early tweet makes me think he's going to sit this one out too.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Lombardi's reaction via GM Street is out now. Not listened yet but curious what his take will be.

Lombardi is getting in the mud it seems.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I've heard the theory that BSPN published this to try and sow discord into the Pats organization; triggering a witch hunt of "who said what?" and distract from football preparations.

Patriots staffers tell me Belichick has a man he keeps around for these types of situations.



All he has to do is direct him to discover any leaks and "handle them" in the offseason. True story.

Yea you really don't want to mess with Mark Briggs.

Mark Briggs | TeamOps

 

[Clonamery]

This guy is doing more defending of his story than Johnmy Cochran for OJ.

Does Seth work for ESPN or Disney?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

All the unnamed sources you want to believe = true

What Belichick, Brady, and Kraft say on the record = false

I didn't say it was false. I said that whether Wickersham's piece is 100% lies, 100% true, or anything in between, NE would have issued exactly that same statement.

 

[Sicilian]

I gave it a click one, because I wanted to see exactly what he wrote, and two, because the more clicks ESPN gets for reasonable, professional, and accurately sourced articles, the less they may feel the need to rely on tabloid journalism and shock tactics.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

That's fine. If he wants to sell his integrity, that's his right. It's my right to shun his work.

Sounds like you're not even basing it on his work but simply because of his employer ?

 

[dannydyn]

It would be beyond awesome if that happened next year.

Awesome only if we win. I can't even being the fathom the 5hitstorm that would ensue if Brady-led Patriots lost to Garoppolo-led Niners....