Curious ... is this "poetic" license?

SI's great Tim Layden was assigned to follow Kansas as it prepped for the national championship game. Early in the story, he had this scene setter graph describing the KU coaching staff meeting after the Ohio State win.

The quote from Self ... he said that to the media after the Ohio State game. Is it just me or does it sound like he's saying that in the room with his coaches?

Not intended to rip Layden, not a huge complaint, just curious what the SportsJournalists.com Nation thinks. Should the attribution have been "he had said earlier" or "he said after the game."?

 

Do you think adding that would improve the story?

 

Maybe a tiny bit disingenuous, but I don't have a problem with it.

 

I think he (or an editor) could have sidestepped the problem by putting in a paragraph break at the quote, and then adding in the attribution, "Self said earlier at a press conference." But I don't think it rises to the level of an ethical violation or anything.

 

Sports Illustrated rarely does anything like that. The "I told them" part at the beginning of the quote speaks for itself.

 

So why is Manning a lame duck, but Hinson (hired as head coach at Southern Illinois) not?

 

No it doesn't. All he's saying is that's what he told the players (who weren't present at the scene described). That doesn't mean the entire quote was said earlier.

 

I can see what you're saying, but I didn't misunderstand the quote.

 

Doesn't mean someone else might have.