The NFL is set to acquire a 10 percent stake in ESPN, yet a seasoned journalist from the network remains unfazed by potential conflicts of interest.
Don Van Natta Jr., a senior writer at ESPN, criticized Dan Patrick after the former “SportsCenter” anchor raised concerns about whether the network would continue reporting negative stories about the NFL.
Van Natta highlighted recent investigative work by himself and ESPN reporter Kalyn Kahler on the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) scandal that resulted in Lloyd Howell’s departure. Their work included details on a confidentiality agreement, the Carlyle Group, and strip club receipts.
“Do your homework before you malign your ex-colleagues. I’m embarrassed for you.”
Van Natta and Kahler teamed up to report nine stories for ESPN about the recent NFLPA scandal and Howell’s resignation in recent weeks.
On Wednesday’s episode of his “Dan Patrick Show,” Patrick voiced his skepticism on how ESPN will handle the deal from a journalistic standpoint.
Patrick expressed his skepticism by stating, “The journalist in me sees a conflict of interest, but ESPN is already deeply aligned with the NFL. Will they ignore any negative stories? They likely already do.”
“I don’t know how deep ESPN went in on the mess of the NFL Players Association. I know [Pro Football Talk’s Mike] Florio did, a couple people did.”
In response, Van Natta fired back, continuing to criticize Patrick’s remarks: “Claiming ‘the journalist in me’ while flunking basic Journalism 101.”
When someone replied and pointed out that Van Natta’s exposé was on the NFLPA, and not the league itself, the reporter replied: “I am not going to tick off the dozens of investigative stories I have done about the NFL since joining ESPN in 2012. Look them up.”
Van Natta, a two-time Pulitzer Award winner, has been at ESPN since 2012. Before that, he was an investigative correspondent for the New York Times for 16 years.
The NFL is acquiring its equity stake in ESPN in exchange for NFL Network and other media assets owned by the league, including NFL RedZone and NFL Fantasy, the league announced Tuesday.
