While the investigation into the workplace culture within the Washington Football Team has yet to drop any bombshells on owner Dan Snyder and former GM Bruce Allen (and probably won’t), we’ve learned a ton about Jon Gruden’s worldview. We’ve also now learned a bit more about ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter’s journalistic ethics.
According to Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno’s reporting for the Los Angeles Times, several released emails included showcase a very close relationship between Schefter and Allen, including one in which the ESPN reporter submitted an entire story for Allen’s approval and referred to Allen as “Mr. Editor.”
https://twitter.com/kevinmdraper/status/1448139296859299841
The news sparked an intense debate online amongst journalists and others in sports media regarding the ethics of such a relationship. Darren Rovell really stepped in it when he admitted that he has done similar things in the past, but for the most part, other media members have come out strongly against the idea that journalists should be doing something like this.
Wow. Now we know why Adam Schefter is an NFL insider, he allows teams to proofread his stories for their liking before he posts them https://t.co/1214ttsmkl
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) October 13, 2021
It’s also been noted that, while the Schefter email looks pretty bad out of context, it’s possible that it might have been a way for him to curry favor with Allen, someone who has a reputation for being notoriously hard to work with.
Others noted that the fact that these emails are putting the focus on people like Gruden and Schefter, instead of Snyder and Allen (who is directly linked to both instances), is the point.
With so many journalists digging into the story, which now includes a media ethics component, it’s likely we haven’t seen the last of this. But the NFL is being very specific about the types of emails it’s releasing and the many, many others it’s not. So whether or not we’ll ever see what Allen, Snyder, and other WFT employees had to say, remains to be seen.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.