Two ESPN Producers Were Suspended for Dumping Out of the Jack Swarbrick Press Conference During Sportscenter Last Week
Remember when Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick hastily called a press conference on Jan. 16th to respond to Deadspin’s Manti Te’o blockbuster? ESPN aired the press conference live, but strangely, about 15 minutes in, decided to dump out and go back to regular Sportscenter. It was a puzzling move, and as sports fans everywhere – gripped by this bizarre saga for about three hours at this point – scrambled online to watch it, ESPN came back to the press conference live a few minutes later.
Why’d they leave it in the first place?
To this point, that remains unclear. But sources tell me that two of the men behind the decision – producer Eric Smith and coordinating producer Bernie Ritter – were suspended for a day for that decision. ESPN refused comment about this last night and this morning.
If you haven’t noticed, ESPN is being very, very protective of this entire Manti Te’o story timeline. After we were the first to report that ESPN indeed was aware of the story before it broke, the WWL offered up suits on the record to SI and the New York Times to defend their actions. Unusual? Maybe. Aggressive? Certainly. A more cynical media observer might wonder what the full court press is all about.
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January 23rd, 2013 at 10:17 AM
Hearty laughter.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Is this interview going to be worth a watch tomorrow?
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:22 AM
I think we can all agree the solution here is the launch of TBL Sports Network. CRM can have a show where he reviews other shows, lots of remotes from Jets camp, etc.
Would bury ESPN!
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:22 AM
Why’d they leave it in the first place?
Because once the initial shock wore off, it is a really boring story.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:22 AM
Jay Bilas really needs to be more careful with his tips.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:22 AM
Indeed.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:23 AM
fIRsT!!!!1!1!!
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:24 AM
And the “crawl” at the bottom of the TBL Sports Network could be a live feed of Roundup comments!
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:24 AM
I just broke the story that I just saw on twitter that Manti admitted to Katie Couric that he did lie briefly. I’m a journalist mom!
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:25 AM
Comments 1, 7, and 8 are winning this post
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:25 AM
The people needed to hear what Tim Legler thought was wrong with the Lakers
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:27 AM
Manti Te’o and Katie Couric have the same publicist.
/fact
//so…probably not
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:27 AM
Also, I think Tiger Woods is deserving of 15 minutes of classic TBL faux outrage and condemnation:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266830/Tiger-Woods-admits-left-California-tax-rates.html
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:30 AM
Or when Chris Broussard mentions “grumblings” of a Dwight Howard trade to the Nets even though the Lakers said they arent exploring trade options at this time.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:31 AM
I believe he said this when he originally moved, which had to be 10-15 years ago.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:31 AM
Considering Jason and Tyler Duffy have explicitly accused Woods of using PEDs, I wouldn’t be shocked if this doesn’t register on their Tiger Radar.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:31 AM
i’m still hurt TBL broke that news on twitter not here
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:32 AM
I wondered about this. I turned it off when they inexplicably cut away, and then saw via Twitter that it went all long after. Sadly, I missed Swarbrick’s tears.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:34 AM
TBL is still hurt that Deadspin got the tip and not him.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:34 AM
I doubt Manti can come off as any less likable than Royce White.
/watched real sports
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Fuck, I forgot to DVR that. He sound like a spoiled kid or something?
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:36 AM
I figured there was breaking news about the Jets QB situation.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:37 AM
I don’t get it. That denial says they started investigating on January 10, which is still before the story “broke” right? At least assuming the story broke when Deadspin published their piece. So those two don’t really seem contradictory. Maybe I’m reading it wrong or wrong about the timeline though.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:39 AM
I understand that he has some anxiety issues and other mental health concerns. But he comes off as self-absorbed, inconsiderate and full of shit. Pretty easy to make all these unprecedented demands and be so righteous when living a luxurious life style.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:39 AM
Hearty laughter.
i laughed and then sighed and then laughed some more.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:40 AM
TBL is still hurt that Deadspin got the tip and not him.
he probably got it, and ignored it, like he did with that other one about Sarah Phillips being only a female face with a fat Indian guy’s brain.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:41 AM
Yeah, it seemed the Rockets were trying to accommodate him to the best of their abilities when they drafted him, so I wanted to see his argument.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:42 AM
TBL is still hurt that Deadspin got the tip and not him.
If your keeping score:
- ESPN the first to have the story
- Deadspin the first to publish the story
- TBL the first to publish that ESPN had the story first.
Oh – only those three are keeping score. Carry on then.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:42 AM
ESPN’s conflict of interest from televising CFB is too much for them to overcome with this story. Thu shouldn’t even try, it’s insulting.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:42 AM
Why’d they leave it in the first place?
Because it was delusional
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Mole and dirt here together in the AM? It feels like Christmas
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Swarbrick’s tears
could be the title of a Freedy Johnston song
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Entire premise of his post is that they sat on it because they were the broadcasters of the title game, not that it was before it broke.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:47 AM
I would have loved the story to break before the title game so uncle Brent and Herbie had to talk about it during the game.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:49 AM
ESPN sat on it
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:51 AM
Ah gotcha. I didn’t bother clicking on the link in this post and didn’t remember it. I see what you mean now.
January 23rd, 2013 at 10:57 AM
seems like people knowing about it before the title game might have driven up viewership
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:00 AM
ESPN didn’t want egg on their face again like they had with the Bernie Fine/Syracuse story. BTW, Mark Schwartz still should be fired for that. Fuck you, dickface
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:02 AM
I listen to Cowherd during the 110am-1pm time slot here at work, they do that commercial for the Road to the Super Bowl presented by Mercedes Benz and they talk about previous games in New Orleans. When Mike Greenberg does his slot for this promo, his voice fockin grates me. I want to reach thru the internet and punch him in the face. Damn.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the retraction/apology this site would demand were it ESPN making the false claims.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:14 AM
You’re thinking of Awful Announcing or a Richard Dietsch column
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:14 AM
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:24 AM
juicy stuff
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:27 AM
I love how Deitsch writes about how he applauds SI’s transparency, but what about giving them some actual criticism how they fucking dropped the ball big time at basic journalism.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:28 AM
There would have to be a companion TBLSN 2 just for airing of Psy/Call Me Maybe-type viral music videos and Russian dash cam videos.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:30 AM
I doubt Manti can come off as any less likable than Royce White.
Nailed it. He carries himself with such arrogance and privilege.
If I went to my employer and said “I have days where I can’t work because my doctor says my brain’s not adjusted right today but you still have to pay me” I’d be fired immediately. If he can’t “play” for a living, he certainly can’t “work” for a living.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:31 AM
The level of desperation in this denial leads me to believe that TBL was right on the mark.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:32 AM
I love how Uncle Remus used this phrase the other day: “fried egg on their face.”
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:32 AM
I think we can all agree the solution here is the launch of TBL Sports Network.
It would end up being called the TBL Dunk Network.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:33 AM
fried egg on their face.
b/c fried egg is worse than raw egg?
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Swarbrick sold the dirt to feed the band?
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Desperation or irritation, you decide.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:36 AM
indeed
/serious subjects demand serious words
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:45 PM
They said they heard the 10th (from CAA).
My sources say they heard on the 6th. The day before the BCS title game.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:46 PM
I’m not in the business of throwing junk up and hoping it sticks. Seven years into the site, I’ve built up enough credibility that I don’t want to risk it.
I wouldn’t have run the Jan 6th date if I didn’t think it was rock solid.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:47 PM
i hate doing that, but i didn’t have enough detail at that moment for a post. And i figured others would have it, so I tweeted it. Within 20 minutes, ESPN got enough calls that it tweeted in response that yes, they had the story early.
I gathered intel overnight, posted the next day.
January 23rd, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Um, please don’t ban me, but I am giggling so hard right now
January 23rd, 2013 at 3:42 PM
Gripped? I don’t think so. More like laughing their asses off at Notre Dame’s incredibly feeble attempt to keep themselves from looking just as stupid as Te’o.