ESPN viewers will ultimately have to make a decision as to which narrative they believe. Was this a bone being thrown to a business partner unhappy with an upcoming documentary, a case of not having editorial control, or a sea change in how ESPN operates journalistically for the toughest stories involving television partners? ESPN.com senior writer Don Van Natta Jr., a multiple Pulitzer Prize winner who wrote critically of Goodell earlier this year, said the investigative group will continue to pursue the concussion subject matter.
“We will continue to do aggressive, smart reporting on the NFL concussion issue heading forward,” Van Natta said. “There is no place I’d rather work.”
Those well-compensated to spread ESPN’s message externally — they were very busy calling reporters on Friday — have noted correctly that ESPN has covered the concussion issue over the past several years. A sampling of those pieces can now be found on ESPN’s public relations site: Skipper released a statement on Friday that read, “We have been leaders in reporting on the concussion issue, dating back to the mid-1990s…I want to be clear about ESPN’s commitment to journalism and the work of our award-winning enterprise team. We will continue to report this story and will continue to support the work of Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru. We have respect as well for the efforts of the people at Frontline.” There was no mention of the NFL in Skipper’s release.