It’s that time of the week, sports media consumers; your (second) favourite sports media is back with the Thursday Briefing. I have been working hard over the last few weeks to expand Just Merce, so forgive me for missing the last couple of my second column, Better Late Than Never.
Seriously, if things get any bigger and busier, I may have to hire a personal assistant. Just kidding. I am a long way off that. But one day, I will turn Just Merce into a sports, media and pop culture website people will love. A guy can dream, can’t he?
Today’s edition of the Briefing features a former NFL Insider making her return to sports media after leaving The Athletic. A former ESPN journalist calls out Pat McAfee on his BS. A seasoned News Corp veteran makes a small on-air slip, and Sam Walker’s former teammate calls out his management team on TV.
Grab your favourite beverage, put your feet up, and I’ll get into the best and worst that sports media has to offer, from Australia and around the world.
Russini Returns
Former NFL insider Dianna Russini has returned to sports media, hosting The Russini Report with offshore betting company BetUS, six months after the controversy surrounding her relationship with New England Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel.
To catch some people up on what happened with Russini, the New York Post released photos of her with Vrabel at a resort in Arizona. Russini decided to quit her job at The Athletic amid a review of her conduct that could have been carried out.
The review showed that while Russini had violated standards by failing to disclose her relationship with Vrabel, there were no factual inaccuracies or clear bias in her reporting. These are two different things.
On Thursday (Wednesday in the US), the first episode of the Russini report dropped, but the show faced some drama, with Awful Announcing reporting tech issues with the live stream. Thankfully, the stream was restored, and the show went on.
😂 @DMRussini has seen a bunch of your memes… and she's got THOUGHTS!
She actually wishes she had the nose from her AI-generated version!
Russini doesn’t just talk about memes like in the clip above, she speaks about her time away from the media, saying that being home in New Jersey with her husband and her two sons gave her perspective she didn’t know she needed.
Credit: Sean Casey Mayor YouTube Channel
Front Office Sports reported last week that Russini was due to return to sports media, and sadly, that brought a number of takes blaming Russini for where she ended up. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk said he will ignore Russini’s reporting until ‘somehow her credibility is restored.’ While Craig Carton said teaming up with BetUS was ‘brain-dead.’
One thing Florio said Russini must do to restore credibility in his eyes was address the scandal. I think the media should give her a chance to discuss what happened when she feels ready, not when others want her to. This upended her world, and while others believe she brought it on herself, I still think it’s up to her when she is ready to talk.
The Athletic’s review showed scant evidence that the relationship biased or compromised her reporting. For me, this is enough for me to read or listen to what she reports.
I do wonder whether a male insider in the same situation would face the same level of scrutiny, or whether the reaction would be different.
Former ESPN journalist turned SiriusXM podcaster Katie Nolan has called out College GameDay’s Pat McAfee after his rant about the University of Utah
In last week’s briefing, I wrote about what McAfee said about the video that was posted on the University’s Instagram where students called him ‘creepy’ and corny.’
On her podcast, The Casuals, Nolan shared her thoughts on how McAfee responded to the comments, and she didn’t hold back.
“The guy is winning in every sense of the word, yet is constantly acting like the world is attacking him baselessly,” Nolan said.
“He acts irresponsibly, but then he wants everyone to be responsible for his emotional well-being and to take care of him.”
Nolan also repeated that McAfee deserves a place in sports media, but the problem is that he seems to want more influence and acclaim without the disagreement that comes with it.
I agree with Nolan; McAfee has to learn that criticism comes with the territory, and he is winning. ESPN has him everywhere; he is the face of the network with Stephen A. Smith.
However, this is the way McAfee has built his public persona, and I don’t expect him to change any time soon.
Riccio’s Slip-up
I’m going to start off this section by saying that I have a great deal of respect for Daily Telegraph journalist David Riccio. I’ve been reading his articles for years, and I enjoy listening to him and Brent on the Triple M NRL Podcast on Tuesdays.
I have also enjoyed what he has brought to the Rugby League World Cup coverage on Channel 7. However, Riccio had a bit of a slip-up when announcing that the 2030 Rugby League World Cup will be played in America, with Utah and Hawaii targeted as locations.
However, Riccio had a bit of a slip-up when discussing the 2030 Rugby League World Cup, which is set to be staged across the Pacific and the United States, with Utah and Hawaii among the potential locations.
If you heard it, you know what I’m talking about. Riccio referred to the host countries as the US and Hawaii, though Hawaii is part of the United States. So, technically, it’s not two host countries. Sorry, Mr Riccio—I’m still a big fan.
This is huge news for international rugby league, and it’s a very smart move. After we saw the scenes surrounding the Tongan and Samoan teams during this World Cup, the game has an opportunity to capitalise on those Pacific communities in the United States.
Keary Questions former Teammates Management
The Sam Walker contract drama is still giving the rugby league world plenty of content, with the halfback’s 2027 future in question, as the Roosters are done with him.
The usual suspects have been mentioned as Walker’s next landing spot, such as Souths and PNG. Rugby Union has been suggested lately, since Walker played the game in high school.
But with all the talk about where the 24-year-old will land, Walker’s former teammate Luke Keary wanted to know exactly what Walker’s management team are doing.
Keary has hit the nail on the head here: what exactly has Walker’s management team been doing? Surely there should have been a backup plan in case negotiations with the Roosters fell apart, which is exactly what happened.
Of course, I wasn’t privy to any of those discussions, and like Keary, I can only go on the information available publicly. If I ever get the chance to speak with Clinton Schifcofske and Steve Gillis, I’ll be sure to ask them.
That brings the Thursday Briefing to a close, sports media consumers. I hope you enjoyed it; feel free to reach out to me in the comments or on social media to tell me what you like and don’t like.
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Have a great rest of the week, and until next time, take care!
