Filed under: Florida, SEC, Media Watch, Sports Business and Media
Here are some things we learned from Monday's conference call to announce ESPN's hiring of Urban Meyer as a college football analyst:Meyer doesn't want to criticize anyone. And he doesn't want to formally cut his ties to Florida, the school he coached to two national titles before announcing his departure in December. In fact, he apparently wants to continue assisting the school in raising funds, even while he may be called on to comment on the team and school's doings.
And doggone it if it's all OK with ESPN.
In a 30-minute conference call with reporters Monday afternoon, Meyer and Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production, discussed the once and almost certainly future coach's role with the Worldwide Leader. Suffice it to say, the terms that were laid out would hardly pass the smell test in any journalism ethics course.
But, then, save for, say, "Outside the Lines," precious little that goes out over the airwaves at ESPN these days bears much connection with solid journalism.
Still, you don't have to be the modern day sports equivalent of Edward R. Murrow to see that allowing a coach who just stepped off the sidelines to maintain any ties with a school, much less the school he just left, raises serious questions about his objectivity and impugns the integrity of the outlet for whom he now works.
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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/01/31/meyer-espn-form-alliance-on-their-terms/
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