The NFL and the Eagles Are Highly Sensitive to All Matters Dog-Related
Last week I caught wind of a rumor that some current and former Philadelphia Eagle(s) were being investigated for their alleged involvement in dog fighting. It was a rumor, in the purest sense of the word. However, based on the volatile and supposedly pervasive nature of the problem, it did require some general, friendly reporterly investigation.
I made some phone calls to various members of the local media that cover the team, all of whom said that there was not an ounce of evidence supporting it, and that they’ve never heard any of the rumors. I called PETA, which had also never heard of any rumors involving these certain players. I called the Eagles front office and, of course, they declined comment. Story over.
However, this morning at 9 a.m., a man named James Clark, a card-carrying “National Football League Security Representative,” stopped by the offices of Philadelphia magazine unannounced. It appears the NFL had sent some sort of operative over to ask me some questions about where I got my information.
The answer was simple: It was a rumor, friend-of-a-friend-who-knows-somebody-type thing. In fact, a tiny sports blog already mentioned the name of one of the players rumored to be involved — exiled linebacker Jeremiah Trotter — but that appeared to be, again, just unsubstantiated rumor.
Mr. Clark and I had about 10 minutes of conversation that he wrote down on his yellow notepad, most of which was me explaining how I found nothing in any of the conversations I’d had with other people that was worth reporting. However, Mr. Clark explained that the league had received a call from the Eagles, and that this is what the NFL does in certain criminal matters — regardless of how, in this case, unfounded or questionable the source of the allegations may be.
So, I never published the story— I had nothing, really — and, yet, the NFL felt it had just enough loosely based info to send someone over to check it out without even the courtesy of a phone call. So, either these rumors (with a big, blinking capital “R,” remember) have a little more credibility than suspected, or the Eagles are completely paranoid right now and have resorted to public relations buffoonery by turning a non-story into one.
Oh, and the Eagles response to the NFL security squad stopping by the office? No comment. Of course.
September 11th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
My only question is, can the dogs catch a punt?
September 11th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
This all makes perfect sense. You didn’t feel there was enough news to report. Then someone from the league dared to show up at your doorstep, so suddenly it’s newsworthy. It’s inside baseball, to mix sports metaphors. And since when does Philly Mag care about “the courtesy of a phone call”? Quite whining.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Don’t you think AJ that perhaps after this summer the NFL would be interested in knowing about ‘rumors’ and tracking the serious ones in order to stay ahead of the news cycle, as opposed to you assuming that they were trying to intimidate you into not publishing a non-story? Get over yourself.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If they are this sensitive about these rumors, then there’s got to be something they are covering up. Instead of writing about rumors, how about doing some more digging. A call to the Humane Society of the United States which spearheaded the Vick exposure (not PETA) might also help.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
My 2¢:
The Eagles get a phone call from a reporter (Mr. Daulerio). They answer no comment, because this is the first they heard of the rumor. Immediately, they contact the league because if it is true, they need to find out. Since nobody heard of this before, the NFL/Eagles’ only contact for this rumor is Mr. Daulerio. Hence, the visit from Mr. Clark.
Investigating this makes perfect sense. However, the manner in which they are doing this is stupid. Mr. Clark should have called first and the Eagles need to do more than say “no comment.”
September 11th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Aj
Please contact me at once. I have something I would like to share with you
September 11th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Boy, that was some ‘investigation’ before you gave up. You called other reporters (because you were eager to tip off competitors on this ‘hot scoop’?), then PETA (because an advocacy organization is always involved in the fine details of an unpublished criminal investigations, right?) and then the Eagles (because team PR folks are always happy to work with writers on negative stories about illegal activity on the part of their players). Well, after such enterprising effort, I can see why you’d conclude ‘Nothing here to see, folks!’
But I gather another writer may have tried something even more innovative. Like, oh, contacting local police and, since the Vick case is a federal one, the DOJ investigation team on all matters dog fighting. I’m sure you can find contact information for the FBI types on an invention called the Internet.
Otherwise, your narrative of the odd but hardly particularly interesting interaction with the NFL security guy is much appreciated. Maybe the next time, you can write about your story budget meetings with editors over there. Then a column on the kind of computer you work on. Then a feature on what time you take a lunch break, and what you usually eat on Thursdays.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
You continue to go after these folks and stay on track. NFL Money talks..something is in this.Otherwise why would they come to your door.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I wonder why the NFL security didn’t just arrest the reporter and jail him, surely the NFL has arrest powers by now, don’t they??? They will soon as the NFL has great clout in politics, who needs the FBI when the NFL Security is “on the job”.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Of course the NFL security is going to come talk to you, even if the rumours aren’t true. PETA said there was no story, other reporters saif there was no story. However stories may be created from rumours n posted into blogs and spoke from person to person. The NFL are highly sensitive right now, and their pr people are doing the job a pr person is suppose to do and catch something before it comes an issue, because it is much easier to do that, than to have to do damage control.