Christmas football came with a side of sports media beef.
Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that longtime NFL and college coach Pete Carroll is considering a return to the game, citing league sources.
“Three teams – the Bears, Jets and Saints – are looking for a head coach who can help them reset their culture,” Schefter wrote. “Few coaches have been more effective than Carroll in achieving this.”
There’s no debate about Carroll’s effectiveness as a coach at the NCAA and professional levels, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk seemed ready to challenge Schefter’s insider credentials.
“ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports that Carroll wants to return,” Florio wrote. “Which frankly means that Carroll’s agent specifically said this to Schefter in the hopes that Schefter would broadcast it to the world, in the hopes of stirring up public opinion. Next, Carroll’s agent will owe Schefter a lot.
“And that’s how sausage is made.”
However, Florio wasn’t done with it.
After breaking down Carroll’s ability to help in a number of NFL scenarios, he turned his attention back to Schefter.
“It’s hard to blame Carroll’s agent for trying to use the media to publicize Carroll,” he continued. “That’s the agent’s job. However, it is not the role of the media to engage in public relations in return for coaching candidates.”
Despite a busy day of football and news, Schefter took a moment to hit back at Florio’s claims about his sources – and didn’t leave much to the imagination.
“Everything you say here is 100% false,” the longtime ESPN reporter wrote on X. “Keep guessing and Merry Christmas.”
This is not the first time in recent weeks that Schefter has felt the need to defend his reporting.
He became involved with Fox Sports college basketball analyst and Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb regarding the emergence of Michael Vick as a football coaching candidate at Sacramento State (he Next accepted job at Norfolk State).
“Damn, edit what the agents tell you… 0.0% chance Sac State has $50 million in NIL,” Gottlieb posted on X. “I need to raise money for a stadium, coaches, then NILE. To say it’s $50 million in NIL is disingenuous.
Schefter not only supported his report, he I also opted for the chin strap.highlighting Gottlieb’s poor record this season.
“What the hell, Doug,” the ESPNer wrote. “A seven-game losing steak and last place in the Horizon League? Less time on social media and more time at the gym.
Schefter apparently has more time for these feuds these days, which is something his detractors might want to consider in the future.