I got home late last night from being back home in the great state of Oklahoma. It was very nice to get out of Longhorn country and actually see the Longhorn sign turned the right way, upside down that is. The sight of crimson and cream everywhere was pleasant as well as opposed to the burnt orange I am forced to deal with in Austin. As I ate my P.Terry's burger you already know what channel I turned to, ESPN, my love for the channel is endless.
My football withdrawals will begin to increase once the NBA playoffs are over in about 7-10 days. The burger tasted so good, but what I saw on television disturbed me. Sportscenter ran an entire Outside The Lines story on Denver Broncos wideout, Brandon Marshall, and his domestic abuse history with his ex-girlfriend.
The story featured his ex-girlfriend, Rasheeda Watley's accounts of the domestic abuse from Marshall, and interviews with her parents. The story also featured 911 calls by Watley and her friend while being involved in incidents with Marshall. There's always two sides to a story and Marshall declined to share his side for the Outside The Lines piece, but talked with Bob Ley about the incidents after the piece. He denied that he ever physically abused his former girlfriend.
My opinion on whether or not he is lying doesn't matter. The truth will come out sooner or later and I hope for his sake he is telling the truth. If he is lying, I hope he gets counseling and is able to put this behind him.
My concern is the purpose of the story. Who approached who? Did ESPN contact Rasheeda Watley or did she contact them? What was the true purpose of this story? To make Brandon Marshall look bad? Highlight domestic abuse in the NFL? Show that according to the Watley's, the NFL condones domestic abuse?
I have a huge problem with ESPN especially with stories like this. It's a love hate thing. I love the channel, but to be honest do I have an alternative, Fox Sports? Nope, I'm right, I don't have an alternative. I love ESPN for all that they do, but why do I hear about the negative sports news 51 weeks out of the year and they only feature the "Make a Wish" foundation segment one week out of the year?
The only time they talk about the good things an athlete does is during their "Make A Wish" segment or when they are glorifying Tim Tebow.
I just want the station to even it out a little bit. For every bad story about Pac-Man, Plax, Mike Vick, and now B-Marshall, I want a story about an athlete who has done some exceptional for his/her community. I mean there are 1,696 NFL players in the league. One of them has to be doing something great for his community that is worth reporting.
ESPN do better please,
Riverboat Ricky