Report: NFL Pressured ESPN Into Backing Out Of Concussion Film

[WhawhaWhat]

Pressure from the National Football League led to ESPN’s decision on Thursday to pull out of an investigative project with “Frontline” regarding head injuries in the N.F.L., according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

“Frontline,” the PBS public affairs series, and ESPN had been working for 15 months on a two-part documentary, to be televised in October. But ESPN’s role came under intense pressure by the league, the two people said, after a trailer for the documentary was released Aug. 6, the day that the project was discussed at a Television Critics Association event in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Last week, several high-ranking officials convened a lunch meeting at Patroon, near the league’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters, according to the two people, who requested anonymity because they were prohibited by their superiors from discussing the matter publicly. It was a table for four: Roger Goodell, commissioner of the N.F.L.; Steve Bornstein, president of the NFL Network; ESPN’s president, John Skipper; and John Wildhack, ESPN’s executive vice president for production.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/sports/football/nfl-pressure-said-to-prompt-espn-to-quit-film-project.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

NFL says "Jump!". ESPN says "How high?". Obviously the NFL is denying the story and told ESPN to deny it as well.

[BlackHelicopters]

Heard this on DP show this morning . NFL stronger than the Mafia.

[Dayze]

Everythin's ok. Be sure to buy your clear bags from the Pro-Shop!

[Skyy God]

James Harrison, I kid you not, has Kevlar in his helmet.

Also, ESPN is the f'ing worst.

[Swanman]

Maybe Fox Sports 1 could pick it up and run with it. One can dream that someone, anyone, will stand up to Goodell's punk ass.

[Skyy God]

Maybe Fox Sports 1 could pick it up and run with it. One can dream that someone, anyone, will stand up to Goodell's punk ass.

Fox, who has a presumably larger NFL contract than ESPN, picking up a PBS expose? Are you daft?

As for who is standing up to Goodell, it's the players and their (greedy, soulless) lawyers.

[BlackHelicopters]

Goodell is not a punk. He is the Don pulling the strings behind waves of foot soldiers.

[Titty Meat]

Good our pussy society will try and ban football

[Chiefshrink]

Hell if that film came out not only would there even be more lawsuits but the NFL game would have to played as "flag football":deevee:

[Hammock Parties]

Good. I don't want my bloodsport watered down anymore. Fuck you, ESPN.

[jspchief]

This subject is going to become a massive thorn in the side of tackle football.

In the NFL's case, there's little doubt that in my mind that there has probably been decisions made by franchises/coaches that would border on criminal negligence in any other workplace. And you probably don't have to go back very far to find them. I do believe that teams are going to come around and that concussions will be handled more carefully in the future, but can they survive their past decisions?

I also feel like players are going to have to shoulder a degree of the responsibility. They need to realize that these things are sometimes the price you pay for the career choice. If you don't want to face the risk of future brain damage, get an office job and slog through life like the rest of us.

[WhawhaWhat]

Hell if that film came out not only would there even be more lawsuits but the NFL game would have to played as "flag football":deevee:

The documentary is still being shown on Oct. 8 and 15 but now without the ESPN logo.

And also it has more press coverage now than it ever would have had before this.

[nychief]

Don't worry guys.. ESPN is still doing bang up journalism.

http://deadspin.com/how-espn-manufactures-a-story-colin-kaepernick-edition-1185400028?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[gblowfish]

If they want to stop the concussions, outlaw helmets. That sounds crazy, but it will work.

[GoChargers]

Isn't it obvious to everyone by now that whenever Goodell talks about "player safety," he's lying? He just wants to legislate defense out of the game for several reasons - inflating fantasy football numbers, enticing casual fans with high-scoring shootouts, making it easier to favor all-offense teams like the Patsies and star quarterbacks like Peyton and Brady, and trying to avoid lawsuits. He doesn't want this concussion stuff coming out, because that would ruin the whole facade of "protecting the shield" that he has carefully built up.

[Chiefshrink]

Politically Correct Football - Can't Wait !:banghead:(self-induced concussion by the smilie) It's coming fellas and is already here to some extinct. The game only gets worse as time goes on to the point I probably won't watch. Just damn sad.

[Chiefshrink]

and trying to avoid lawsuits.

This and pretty much this only, other than protecting the product which usually means protecting the QBs but primarily "player safety" is just trying to show and make changes to avoid losing lawsuits because of irresponsibility of the NFL and why that POS Demaurice Smith and the Union are trying to make this a cigarette situation of the past trying to show that the NFL has known about the effects of concussions in football for decades:rolleyes:

What the NFL is doing is no more than any other company taking action to make sure ALL Employees take the sexual harassment and workplace violence or diversity classes to COVER THEMSELVES to show they did everything they could in case an employee tries to take them to court.