Todd McShay is Getting Heat for Attending SOTS...
So, there is apparently heat on ESPN's Todd McShay for attending SOTS last week, with some questioning his ability to remain unbiased and "objective" afterwards:
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/02/09/espns-todd-mcshay-says-it-was-a-…
After thinking about it, I tend to agree; by attending this event McShay has really called into question the rock-solid journalistic integrity of ESPN. It's almost as bad as if, say hypothetically, ESPN owned a network that featured just one of the major college football conferences and thereby could be accused of hyping said conference whenever it had a chance! But thank God ESPN is all over this breach of ethics so we can go back to trusting them again...
(P.S. Anyone who doesn't instantly note the sarcasm here should punch themselves in the face...)
February 9th, 2016 at 10:32 PM ^
Right. It's silly to even think of ESPN personalities (or even beat writers) as "journalists." Journalists cover real, debatable issues. Not trivial entertainment.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:39 PM ^
Wow I thought I was the only one who shared this opinion. I have nevery understood complaining about "journalistic integrity" or "bias" when discussing sports media. This is an entertainment business, it's not the presidential election. Maybe there is, but I can't come up with any reasonable argument to suggest that ESPN has a duty to protect a level playing field for coverage.
They shouldn't hype their own product because fans feelings might be hurt? Over sports? The fact that the SEC has a better rights deal than the Big 12, for example, is no ones fault but the Big 12. Some people (cough, cough...Spartans) will never understand this.
February 9th, 2016 at 4:17 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 5:21 PM ^
We could have Knute Rockne, Bill Walsh, Don Shula, and Vince Lombardi show up, and somebody would bitch about Walsh's inability to develop a dual-threat quarterback or Vince Lombardi's imperfect smile.
The guy showed up to a charity event that helped bring money to a good cause and visibility to Michigan football.
Remember the old saying about "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"?
February 9th, 2016 at 2:36 PM ^
You mean when Bob Iger was leading a group involved in relocating an NFL franchise there might have been a conflict of interest when ESPN fired Bill Simmons for criticizing the NFL?
February 9th, 2016 at 2:36 PM ^
feels like this was a back channel complain by the SEC to ESPN since they are joined at the hip these days....
February 9th, 2016 at 4:09 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 2:37 PM ^
A joke
February 9th, 2016 at 2:38 PM ^
Willie Mays the same and expect him to be "unbiased" and "objective" after Harbaugh visited his home.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:41 PM ^
Gee, showing up on his own time to an event he was invited to that had a charitable cause attached to it. He has so much to be ashamed of.
I get the whole, "Tell your employer" thing. The rest screams of hurting in various posteriors in EL, Columbus, and SEC country.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:41 PM ^
I really used to have a ton of respect for southern football fans, it just seemed like they cared more a knew more about football than other parts of the country. In retrospect they just seem like a bunch of whining pussies. They have so many advantages when it comes to recruiting but when any other school tries anything new it must be banned.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:05 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 2:45 PM ^
for turning in a rather lackluster performance. You could tell by the 2nd half of it that he was just done and really had nothing to say about the recruits.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:46 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 2:48 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 3:00 PM ^
Michigan didn't even pay for his airplane ticket.
February 9th, 2016 at 4:37 PM ^
Missed the ESPN statement stating that he wasn't paid.
If he wasn't paid, then the conflict of interest issue is a softer call.
More so a perception problem--sports fans can be pretty emotional and very sensitve to possible biases.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:49 PM ^
Eveveryone on earth understood he was there solely to be part of a fund-raising event.
Anyone that did not, is a mouth-breathing, donkey-molesting idiot.
I can understand his employer fussing the effect his actions have on their image. That's what useless carbon atoms stuffed into blue suits do.
But, I cannot understand any reasonable person buying into this "scandal".*
*Except the SEC where a mind is a terrible thing.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:55 PM ^
When did the mouth-breather suddenly become the in vogue insult?
Sincerely yours in football,
A mouth breather.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:58 PM ^
Honestly, my nose gets blocked up at night, so I'm a mouth breather when I sleep a lot too =/
February 9th, 2016 at 2:51 PM ^
Saying that "ESPN’s Todd McShay Says It Was A ‘Mistake’ To Attend Michigan’s ‘Signing Of The Stars’" is misleading. Todd's actual quote said he made a mistake, but never specified what that mistake was. Based on how his statement was structured, it seems that the mistake he was referencing was not letting boss man at ESPN know about it. But, I suppose click bait and all makes the idea of the author being transparent less important.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:06 PM ^
Was just about to comment with the same thing. On the other hand, how did ESPN not know? Didn't we know ahead of time from UM Athletics tweeting out who would be there?
February 9th, 2016 at 3:13 PM ^
At first I thought it was ridiculous that he was apologizing and such. Once I read it and realized he was apologizing because he didn't notify ESPN, it made a lot more sense. (And is something he probably should apologize for, I was pretty surprised he didn't talk to them about it.)
February 9th, 2016 at 4:17 PM ^
Probably felt that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, which likely would've gone something like this:
McShay: "Yo, I'm going to Harbaugh's Signing Day Thing."
ESPN Boss: "Um, you know we have the SEC Network, right?"
McShay: "Well, er, yeah, but--"
ESPN Boss: "Pull your head out of your ass, then call that jerk Harbaugh up and tell him you won't be making it."
February 9th, 2016 at 2:56 PM ^
His mistake was sitting next to Lou Holtz in a suit that just came back from the dry cleaners.
Guy needed Goretex.
February 9th, 2016 at 2:56 PM ^
First of all, I have no problems with this. Its a known fact that McShay also loves OSU. He has tons of respect for Urban and essentially does the sideline reporting for every ESPN broadcasted OSU game.
He's also a very pro Penn State guy. I just think he's unofficially part of ESPNs B1G team when not working towards draft stuff.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:07 PM ^
I thought he did a great job of breaking down players despite not being a high school recruiting guy.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:21 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^
Showing up at a charitable event to which you were personally invited and on your own time is something that I would have trouble calling a "mistake" under any circumstances quite honestly, at least if it were possible for you to attend.
Now, when it comes to the phrase "possible for you to attend", I understand that perhaps you might want to inform your employer first because they might have an opinion on how they might be viewed and how they would rather you were viewed, if you will, but then realistically that is a department in which ESPN has virtually no room to complain (I am sure ESPN sees it differently) and again, he got himself to Ann Arbor and accepted zero cash.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:15 PM ^
Sometimes the SEC bias by announcers is a tad annoying. And by tad annoying, I mean fuck them.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:14 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 3:15 PM ^
It would be like if ESPN ran a TV network for a specific team and/or conference......
February 9th, 2016 at 3:17 PM ^
I mean, I know the comparative records and all. But Harbaugh has done the impossible and made the entire SEC our step little brother.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:22 PM ^
It will be an unpopular position, but he should have let his employer know that he was doing this. So his mistake was in not letting them know. He is a celebrity talent evaluator, and he was deployed in a talent evaluator role during the Signing of the Stars event. This "it was for a charity" has some weight, but isn't dispositive. In addition to mimicing his pre-draft shtick (and therefore potentially watering it down), the style of him breaking down the players was similar to the style he uses on ESPN. It had a lot of earmarks of being an ESPN production.
To be clear, I think he really added to the event, especially from the perspective of the recruits. As much as people here seem to dislike him, I think he's far better than Mel Kiper. (I would love to stumble across an email from Kiper volunteering to attend, and having Harbaugh say "nawh, we've got that desk covered - but thanks, and here's a coupon for some hair grease".) I'm really glad McShay was there, and helped make money for ChadTough.
But he still should have let his overlords at the WWL know what he was up to.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:36 PM ^
I think he did let ESPN know and they had no problem with it. But now that certain corners have complained, he is covering for ESPN and taking the blame to help shelter ESPN from certain criticism.. ESPN has guidelines what their employees can and can not do so to say that McShay didn't think for a moment he didn't have to tell them is complete BS.
February 9th, 2016 at 4:11 PM ^
It isn't that what McShay did was wrong . . . it was that he didn't clear it with his employer.
February 9th, 2016 at 3:23 PM ^
Not even my own stupidity :)
February 9th, 2016 at 3:47 PM ^
While I completely appreciate the sarcastic note in the OP, I don't think ESPN has any problems with a conflict of interest. Whoever the author of the article is implies that, McShay only seemed in trouble for not telling his employer. I don't thihnk ESPN would have even said no, I think its just more of him appearing in a capacity similar to his ESPN job, in which case ESPN would have liked to vet SOTS to make sure there was nothing that could negatively implicate ESPN. There is absolutely no conflict of interest in McShay praising a bunch of high schoolers highlight tapes.
February 9th, 2016 at 4:22 PM ^
McShay was merely an MC for the event and a guy like Tirico who lives in A2 ...but who didn't become famous by stalking high school boys, would have been a more appropriate selection..
February 9th, 2016 at 4:38 PM ^
ES(EC)PN must really be upset about the IMG thing to take it out on Todd McShay.
February 9th, 2016 at 4:57 PM ^
Isn't he mainly an NFL draft evaluator? I don't see the big deal with him at an event geared toward high school recruits.
February 9th, 2016 at 5:24 PM ^
Agreed. The only real possible drawback is if he gives Michigan players/recruits a higher draft grade evaluation based on the fact that he showed up to Michigan's campus for a charity event. And that's quite a stretch to think that he's going to bump Kareem Walker up a round or two in the 2019 NFL Draft simply because he was there for the Signing of the Stars back in 2016...
February 9th, 2016 at 6:00 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
I noticed on ESPN's tracker leading up to national signing day they were going to be covering certain schools all morning every half hour. Every school listed was SEC with a couple ACC schools thrown in (FSU, Clemson and one or two more).
How is that providing fair and unbiased coverage while fullfilling journalistic integrity?
There's such a flood of shit content being spewed forth it seems people can say what ever they want even if it is contradicatory to something else they are doing because there is no way the average person can keep up.
February 9th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
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February 10th, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^