LeBatard column on the media

I'm sick of hearing these comparisons that people make like "If this was Brett Favre..."
If Brett Favre ran into a light pole while driving drunk, we would be speaking in the same terms that people are about Sean Taylor now. We know he had a sketchy past with guns, etc. and he died a sketchy, yet parallel death.
Favre had a history with alcohol, and if that were his demise, it would be no different.
In both the real and example case, of course it could be a coincidence. Taylor could have been the victim of a random robbery as Favre could have had his first two drinks in 15 years. Regardless, human nature ties past precedent and makes conclusions, right or wrong.
I just don't know why so many people are shocked to see that.

 

What he is saying is so simplistic it's not worth arguing about.

 

One of Le B's readers sent him a great email after Dan bemoaned the declining standards of our profession, the merging of entertainment and journalism. The reader said something along the lines of: "Aren't you the guy who, on his radio show the other day, was asking listeners to phone in nominations for "Athletes Who Look Like They Smell Bad?"

 

Steve Howe would be the better example.

And his raison de mourir was correctly speculated weeks before the autopsy came out.

 

They certainly did, playthrough. If you sift through a few pages of the "Comments" to his column, you'll find it.

 

Fixed.

 

Gee, I can't imagine why anyone would think the UM football players are a bunch of thugs...

What do we expect from LeBatard? He's a Miami graduate and he's made a huge name for himself for being an athlete apologist, which is a tag he has said he takes as a compliment.

I will say this about DLB. First, love him or hate him, he's a great writer... Second, there aren't many columnists who are capable of pissing me off just by reading them... DLB does it better than anyone, and I mean that as a gigantic compliment... It's the reason I read him. I hate him, but he's never boring...

 

Zing! Got him right through the armpit!

 

Jemele: I pray to God it was random. But as someone who has covered too many criminal cases involving athletes, please don't write:

Fact: The police believe....

They believe right now because they don't have evidence it was anything but random. That doesn't mean such evidence won't be uncovered. Again, I hope that isn't the case.

And even if the cops have a lead or leads that suggest it wasn't random, they probably aren't going to share. (I imagine you experienced at least some of this while covering Sparty. )

So you're asking folks to stop running rampant with theories yet you seem to have declared we already KNOW this was random.

If we're about letting it play out, how bout both sides let it play out? OK?

Thanks.

 

Shaun Powell asked both Dan and Jemele that question on ESPN yesterday. I believe neither provided a response.

Not a criticism, just noting the question was asked.

 

Amen, arma.

They may be right in this case but some of the worse mistakes ever to make print were from folks going with crap the cops were certain was true (ex: Richard Jewell).