Clearing the air

Mike: Thank you for your integrity and not making these kinds of speculations in your work. Any team would be lucky to have you covering them.

Of course then you'd be covering a stinky team, instead of the best one.

Jabob

ESPN seems to have too much power to set the national perception on sports. They are tightly focused, bored, and as a result, rush into speculation before they have facts. For some reason, they think it's ok, but it isn't and someone needs to call them on it. I appreciate Mike and Christopher Gaspar, the Globe football staff, because they don't create factless rumors. They do a great job of actually reporting the Patriots and football.

Thanks Mike.
Since I've had Sirius NFL Radio and the NFL Network, I hardly very use espn for football news. I'll look at the draft section of the ESPN website from time to time, but even NFL.com is another option. Ever since ESPN allowed mark schlereth and chris carter to go off like they did about spy gate and sully the Pats name to the average fan that trusts what ESPN says as the truth, I've very rarely watched any of ESPN's football coverage. I change the channel immediately if mark schlereth is on.

Mike,

You are kidding right? Someone from ESPN actually retracts and admits they messed up? WOW. There IS a first time for everything!

Typical ESPN....they trip all over themselves to speculate and get dirt on NE and Belichick in particular.... so much so it seems that they now make crap up and hope it sticks.....

Mike. Great work as usual. ESPN is a hack. I've not watched or listened to any of there people since the T's off on the Pats for the spygate and running up the score...

Good for Mort. Hopefully that's at least one person at espn who will stop with the baseless speculations/accusations of underhandedness that seemingly go hand-in-hand with every reference to Belichick.

I doubt it though.

I make my fair share of mistakes here, too. I am far from perfect. And, for what it's worth, Chris Mortensen was extremely understanding/gracious when I followed up on this issue, and I also received a call from Tim Graham, the hard-working AFC East blogger, personally apologizing. I respect those guys for that.
--Mike

Mike,

I'm lost why Tim would call and apologize to you. Did you mean he called the Patriots and Bronco's or... Missing the link here.

Mortensen has always been the best of the ESPN football journalists -- the most likely to report the real story, the least sensationalistic (and least likely to make himself the story) and gossipy, and the most straightforward, mellow and down-to-earth. He's also a pretty humble, friendly guy in general. And one of the few who would apologize in a situation that was murky enough that he probably could have stuck by his version and never been proven wrong. I wish ESPN had more guys like Mortsensen, and less personality-driven gossip-mongers; better journalists combined with the resources ESPN can put into coverage would make it a top-notch journalistic powerhouse, instead of the People Magazine of sports that it's slowly morphing into (and don't even get me started on ESPN The Magazine). A national football reporting outlet with league-wide coverage at the level the Globe manages for the Patriots would be great. It'll be interesting to see if the National Football Post can grow into that kind of outlet.

Hi Steve. I think Tim regretted publishing the part of the entry that brought the Globe into the story, and painted the Globe in an unfavorable light. Not to mention that the speculation was completely incorrect. I don't know if he's spoken with the teams involved. I can only speak to what I know -- and it's that Tim was a stand-up guy with me on the issue.
--Mike

Mike, I know that you and all other reporters make mistakes. The kind of mistakes that one makes are what's most important. Mortensen and some others at ESPN consistently speculate, lacking tact in their speculation. They end up hurting the reputations of players and teams and fail to come close to healing the damage done when they're wrong. How easy would it have been for him to talk with you before publishing? Maybe I'm overly sensitive to them over the way they have handled all things Patriots and Bill Belichick in the past, but this is just another chapter in a pattern of malicious intent that ESPN has shown relative to my favorite team.

Sure, you make mistakes, Mike. You don't hurt others when doing it and have shown the integrity to make known when you're speculating. When you're reporting, you're sure it's the truth.

Mike,

Your knowledge, insight and humility is refreshing and rare especially in the world of the NFL. You do make mistakes but your mistakes are honest and I've seen you always own up to them when they come to light.

As Nate mentions, your mistakes are understandable but those that come from outlets like ESPN are garish and sensational. It appears as if their editors have ordered them to stir the pot ("We need people talking about you and ESPN"). The impression I get from you (and your colleague Gasper is that your editors don't put on the same pressure. Kudos to you and everyone at the Globe who contributes to this integrity.

Ok seriously, is there no journalistic integrity anymore? There's a difference between getting it wrong and making it up. Maybe they should change their titles to 'knitting nanny in chief'

Mike with 3 players flocking to McDaniels so-far (are more going?) was it best for everybody/anybody they "bought" them in FA?
I heard we're interested in their long-snapper to replace Paxton...weren't there any trades available - or was there nothing that benefitted both teams?
Which scenario costs teams more - trading, picking up contracts (like Vrable @ KC) or writing new contracts

Mike,

Don't defend those clowns. I have yet to hear you speculate and publish without looking at the facts first. It is sleazy reporting.

Keep up the good work Mike.

Mike,
You have opinons in your mailbag about what you think might/did happen. But your reporting is always fact. How do you as a journalist keep your reporting so honest yet, in depth without with out relying on a hunch or personal opinion to sell it?

ESPN clowns continue their slanted, sloppy work

Mort and (Clayton, even more) have lost tons of credibility in the last few years. Has Mort even apologized for reporting Shanahan as a done deal coaching for the Chiefs? What about his "the Raiders have lost the opportunity to respond" crap. Also, in his radio appearance this week, Mort says (in a snide tone) "the leak about the Broncos trade of Cutler came out of Boston, not Denver. You make of that what you will." What does that even mean? If he's a journalist, bound by journalist ethical standards, then tell me so. If he's just a commentator, tell me that.

Now that the Broncos have picked up Jabar Gaffney the Pats should go after Tory Holt, and give Tom Brady 3 of the most dynamic recievers of all time!

Mike, I, too have always appreciated your identifying your "analysis" from your reporting. Its just one of the distinctions that set you apart from the lazy rumor mongering that poses for reporting.

You and your Globe online colleagues have built quite a community here because you've repeatedly earn our trust. Good to see your professionalism and integrity impacting others now.

But hey - I thought you were on vacation? Take a break for cyrin' out loud!

Chris Mortensen said "I could have speculated more logically, if you really think about it."

Yes, someone HAS to think about it because Chris sure as heck doesn't. I'm constantly amazed at how some of these "journalists" continue to keep their jobs. All they're doing is what's considered the sports version of Entertainment Tonight. Anyone can speculate. Give us hard facts and the true story.

Chris used to be credible but the beginning of his demise was his reporting of Michael Vick. He continually got it wrong then and continues to do so.

Mortensen's hardly the best of the ESPN crew, unless by best you mean sleaziest. Also flat wrong more often than not. How many times does he have to take ESPN air with a "story" *(Eli's out for the season/Mike Vick's not going to jail/the Raiders are being sold and moveed to LA, etc., etc.) for which he later was forced to admit were completely wrong? And don't forget who ginned up the mills in the immediate aftermath of Spygate. The Patriots have no greater media sniper than Chris Mortensen.

just ANOTHER example of why I never believe a thing 'Mort" writes or says on TV......does ESPN really think NFL fans respect Mort?......do they think we hang on his every word? .....He has gotten so many things about the Patriots wrong I imagine his information on other teams is wrong too.....in short, most people look at "Mort" as a CLOWN........I imagine ESPN pays him some pretty good coin......WHAT A COUNTRY! Get paid big bucks to make things up out of thin air, be WRONG time after time and still keep your job.......what a country, indeed!

I'm pleasantly surprised by Mort's contrition. I can't remember the last time ESPN made this conspicuous a retraction. But Mortensen could have avoided this altogether by exercising better judgment & a little restraint.