Dale Hansen quits ESPN over Roethlisberger muzzle

[scpanther22]

As a result, we haven't said anything about, for example, ESPN executive John Walsh's mini damage-control media tour with Dan Patrick and Mike Francesca.

But we couldn't ignore this one.

Dale Hansen reportedly quit his job at ESPN Radio's Dallas affiliate after he was told during his show to ix-nay on the Oethlisberger-ray discussions.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/29/dale-hansen-quits-espn-over-roethlisberger-muzzle/

[Fireball77]

Wow, impressive if true.

[King Taharqa]

Ive said for years ESPN has had an agenda and people laughed. To most in the black community ESPN is just Fox News with sports highlights now. I like Big Ben, but how his civil case has been handled in the mainstream media shows a HUGE double standard.

[Mr. Scot]

I've said for a long time it isn't about race. They had no trouble covering Roger Clemens being a jackhole. Likewise they never buried the allegations against Lance Armstrong (even though they were crap).

It's about not offending the world champs, their fans and Roethlisberger himself for fear of losing access.

Regardless of the reason behind it though, it's crap. And major kudos to Dale Hansen (whom I've never heard of till now) for standing up against it.

I wonder if the geniuses behind this tactic realize that obvious cover-upsh ave a tendency to make a story bigger rather than make it go away.

[marius00]

Ive said for years ESPN has had an agenda and people laughed. To most in the black community ESPN is just Fox News with sports highlights now. I like Big Ben, but how his civil case has been handled in the mainstream media shows a HUGE double standard.

This makes you sound more racist than anything else. If that happened to Tony Romo , it would be on ESPN everyday all day.

[pstall]

Ive said for years ESPN has had an agenda and people laughed. To most in the black community ESPN is just Fox News with sports highlights now. I like Big Ben, but how his civil case has been handled in the mainstream media shows a HUGE double standard.

Come on man. You do know that not all double standards are race related?

And that's pretty scary that most in the black community view ESPN as Fox News with sports.

Lets walk thru this. How does ESPN make it's money? Ad rights. Viewership.

So they WANT people to watch. Dig a little deeper and you will realize it's NOT color of skin.

Yeah ESPN has an agenda, the are using Samuel L Jackson to push it for them too.

[King Taharqa]

This makes you sound more racist than anything else. If that happened to Tony Romo , it would be on ESPN everyday all day.

How do you know that? Its happening to the Super Bowl champion QB on perhaps the most popular team in the league and it aint on everyday all day. What makes you think it would be any different for Romo?

[dimbee]

C'mon. ESPN is fair and balanced!!!

[Mr. Scot]

How do you know that? Its happening to the Super Bowl champion QB on perhaps the most popular team in the league and it aint on everyday all day. What makes you think it would be any different for Romo?

Because there's been plenty of negative coverage of Romo's personal life already (most of it around Jessica Simpson).

The Cowboys are one of those teams with a fairly equal balance of lovers and haters. Thus, negative stories are likely to garner just as high a rating as positive ones. Ditto for the Patriots, Yankees, Lakers, and others.

Ahhhh, but not in Steeler land. In Steeler land, with a world championship in hand, all is bliss and calm, and must be treated as such. Any suggestion that it's otherwise might cause the holders of the crown to take their ball and go home, and we simply cannot have that.

The rationale is, of course, stupid. These things are matters of public record, same as another player's drug arrest or steroid suspension or whatever. If ESPN tried to ignore those things, they'd look like idiots, and they know it.

Yet despite this, someone high up at ESPN somehow thinks they can get away with ignoring this story and not look like idiots.

That someone is, of course, wrong (and probably fairly stupid).

[Fireball77]

And they are playing the ISH out of BR's commercial. I think it was on at LEAST 12 times yesterday before 3 pm.

[pstall]

I still stand by post that Rooney put a call in to ESPN. Wait and see