For anyone who thinks ESPN is in bed with the NFL, on this one they’re sleeping with their backs to each other.
Tuesday, T.J. Quinn of ESPN reported that the NFL declined an invitation to collaborate with Major League Baseball and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency regarding an investigation into the Al Jazeera report linking multiple pro athletes to PEDs. In response, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Twitter, “This is wrong. NFL has worked with USADA & MLB from the start.”
Quinn thereafter responded with this: “No, it isn’t. NFL is not working ‘with’ them, it’s communicating with them while they work together.”
Aiello then fired back. “One more time: wrong,” Aiello said. “We are working with both and have been from the start. No semantics.”
Quinn got the last word. So far.
“One more time: no, it isn’t,” Quinn said.
It’s unclear precisely what the NFL is doing when it comes to the investigation of Peyton Manning’s alleged link to HGH, because the NFL is handling the situation like most of its investigations -- by saying nothing about it. The problem for the league comes from the very public way that the league handled the #DeflateGate investigation and prosecution of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
A separate problem for the league, the Broncos, and Peyton Manning is that the story that on all levels is a non-story has become a story again, with only 11 days to go until the Super Bowl. Unless the league at some level prefers that the story that on all levels is a non-story becomes a story again, if for no reason other than to drive more interest in Super Bowl 50.
