What’s cracking, sports media consumers?
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to take a look at what’s been happening in the world of sports media from Australia and abroad.
We have a few stories to get through this week, so grab a beverage of your choice, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
A rat in a cage
It is fair to say that Mat Rogers, also known as ‘The Rat’, is pissed off. Why is he pissed off? Because of the conduct of two Gold Coast Titans players’ significant others.
The Titans lost their final game of the season on Sunday to the Dolphins by four points, but it was a season to forget for the Gold Coast team, which finished with six wins and missed the wooden spoon by two points.
After the match, Sam Verrills’ partner Teagan Parker took to social media to vent her frustrations. ‘Thank god that’s over x’, the now-deleted post said. Verrills was not offered a contract with the Titans for next season, and he appears to be heading to the Super League.
The wife of fellow Titans player Jaimin Joliffe, Tia Joliffe, seemed to feel the same way and commented, ‘Hallelujah’ under the post. Joliffe is also heading to the Super League to play for the Huddersfield Giants.
On his SEN afternoon show with Jarrod Croker, Rogers took aim at Parker and Joliffe for not keeping their comments behind closed doors.
Interestingly, Rogers’ co-host, Croker, had the same thing happen when he played in Canberra. Rogers mentions it in the clip, too. Back in 2021, Joe Tapine’s wife took to social media to complain about Raiders coach Ricky Stuart and his bench rotation. It’s safe to say things worked out, and Tapine stayed at the Raiders, eventually becoming the captain.
It is easy to see why Rogers would be upset about the situation. First, he is a former Titans player, and he still has loyalty to the club. Also, when Rogers played, social media was in its infancy. The way players, partners, and fans communicate publicly has changed dramatically since then. Unfortunately for him, that’s the way of the future.”
Burying the hatchet
Everyone’s favourite New Yorker, Jimmy Traina, has buried the hatchet and interviewed New York Yankees player Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez, whom he criticised.
In 2015, when Traina wrote an article for Fox Sports called ‘Here are 9 non-PED-related reasons to dislike Alex Rodriguez. The reasons included Rodriguez knocking the ball out of Boston Red Sox Pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s hand in the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees were down 4-2, and Rodriguez kissing his reflection during a photo shoot. To see the other reasons, head to the article here.
In 2017, Traina wrote a column about how Rodriguez was being extorted for $600,000 by an ex while he was dating Jennifer Lopez. In that column, Traina said the former Yankee deserves credit for not giving in to the extortion attempt; he added that if the cheating allegations the ex brought up were true, it would be just another dumb item on Rodriguez’s long list.
That same year, Traina also said that he wasn’t a fan, and never would be, and said that he was a ‘Derek Jeter guy.’ I’ve seen plenty of people change their opinion of someone when they actually get the chance to talk to them, and it seems that’s what happened between Traina and ‘A-Rod.’
It was a very interesting interview, and one of my favourite guests that Traina has had on so far. I wasn’t always a fan of Rodriguez either, but my opinion has certainly changed after his retirement. Although I didn’t really like him and JLo together, that’s a story for another time.
Will the comeback be stronger than the setback?
Andrew Marchand from The Athletic reported last week that The Athletic’s inquiry into former NFL Insider Dianna Russini concluded that she violated the company’s standards by not disclosing a relationship with New England Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel.
Earlier this year, the New York Post’s Page Six published photos of Russini and Vrabel holding hands in Arizona. Russini left The Athletic in April, shortly after the story broke. The Post later posted more photos, this time of the pair inside a New York bar in 2020.
Now that the inquiry is done and dusted, Page Six reports that Russini is set to make a comeback and tell her side of the story, and that she will choose which outlets to go to. A source in the story said Russini is currently reviewing offers and may choose more than one gig upon her return.
Russini is one of the best-known journalists in the NFL; it will be good to see her back where she belongs, reporting on America’s game.
Well, dear friends and readers, we’ve come to the end of another Wednesday Briefing. Hope you are all having a great week so far, and I will see you over the weekend for The Coverage’s Better Late Than Never Column.
Until next time, take care.
Merce
