The Washington Post published a story this week titled The power and peril of being Adam Schefter, the ultimate NFL insider. It’s basically a Schefty deep dive with a lot of interesting nuggets about the guy himself and how he works.

But I’ll take this snippet and share it, which, if true, basically confirms what we already knew about the NFL scoop game:

In 2004, Schefter was tapped as the lead reporter for the league’s newly launched NFL Network. There were advantages built into the perch: Jerry Jones once stood up at a league meeting and told teams they should give their news to NFL Network, which usually meant Schefter, to build its credibility and popularity. But Schefter was also preternaturally good at the job. On the network’s first NFL draft telecast, Schefter broke the news that Mario Williams, not Reggie Bush, would be the first pick.

Jerry Jones being a conniving rat bastard? Shocker!

In truth, however, this is how the game works. NFL people have information. Information holds value. So you provide the information to journalists working for the league-owned network and boost those personalities in the process. It’s a closed-door system of help me help you. Any organization can uplift a reporter or a media outlet by becoming a direct conduit, which provides a challenge for other outlets at the same time. In Jerry’s case, if there’s a big Cowboys item, give it to Ian Rapoport or Field Yates and have them report it on NFL Network, to up the individual and network profile at the same time and deny a scoop to a competitor.

All of this is largely rigged. Most people know this, but it just goes to show that when non-affiliated or independent outlets break news or do good journalism, it should be commended, because there is no helping hand in that process.


James Kratch at ESNY nails it when he writes this in a post called New Adam Schefter takeout lays NFL scoop-industrial complex bare:

That is not to say the NFL Network reporters don’t work hard (they do) or that outside reporters cannot succeed and break news (they can). But from a media literacy standpoint, it is important that fans understand how the information flows. Especially when dealing with league- and team-centric topics, like Daniel Snyder’s piles of scandal.

(Ben) Strauss also reports on the symbiotic relationship between player agents and insiders, and how agent-driven reporting can easily slide into outright water-carrying. Acts like reporting inflated contract numbers in return for a transaction scoop are largely victimless crimes. But two of Schefter’s recent missteps — one-sided and misleading reporting on allegations of domestic violence against Vikings running back Dalvin Cook and now-Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s litany of sexual assault allegations — illustrate how this push and pull can distort reality and compromise integrity.

It’s a good read. Here’s the link to the full story: