The Ravens contend that ESPN’s very thorough, heavily detailed, and thoroughly troubling report regarding the Ravens’ mishandling of the Ray Rice investigation contains “numerous errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions and, perhaps, misunderstandings.” But the Ravens haven’t identified any “errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions and, perhaps, misunderstandings.”
Regardless, ESPN isn’t flinching.
“We stand by our reporting,” an ESPN spokesman told PFT on Friday night.
Considering that ESPN once canceled the popular Playmakers series under overt and express pressure from former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, it’s safe to assume ESPN dotted all i’s and crossed all t’s before loading the cannon and aiming it at the Ravens and, as a practical matter, the league office. The fact that ESPN and the NFL have a multi-billion-dollar broadcast partnership makes the report inherently more credible.
Put simply, ESPN isn’t going to swing and miss on something this important when it potentially undermines such an important relationship.
Meanwhile, the Ravens seem to be flailing. If they dispute any, some, or all of the facts contained in the report, they should say so. Surely, they know whether each and every allegation or statement on such an important and persistent issue is true. Addressing the alleged “errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions and, perhaps, misunderstandings” should be simple.
Under the circumstances, it’s definitely necessary.
