Did Parker slander MSU quarterback?

MSU's Dantonio refutes report regarding QB Cousins

By SHANNON SHELTON • FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES • October 28, 2008

EAST LANSING — Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio on Tuesday challenged a newspaper columnist’s accusation that backup quarterback Kirk Cousins was involved in the off-campus fight Oct. 19 that sent a hockey player to the hospital.

Detroit News columnist Rob Parker made the statement on WDIV-TV Local 4’s “Sports Final Edition” on Sunday.

“Rob Parker, from the Detroit News, went on TV the other day — WDIV-TV on Sunday night in Detroit — he made reference to Kirk Cousins being at the heart of this whole matter, which is totally inaccurate,” Dantonio said at his weekly news conference. “I take offense to that. His family takes offense to that, and I think this borders on slander. If you’re going to say something, you better get it right.”

When reached by phone, Parker said: “I have no comment.”

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said: “Based on the information that I have so far, there is no mention of Mr. Cousins” regarding the fight.

http://www.freep.com/article/20081028/SPORTS07/81028096

 

FYI: "Today's editions of the News included this statement from Parker: “I was wrong. I apologize. I have reached out to the student-athlete's family and apologized. They have accepted. I also apologize to the Michigan State community.”

 

Parker wrong? Hahah never.

Here is a video of Dantonio's comments.

Wait for the line where he says something about five million people reading the Detroit News and Oakland Press.

http://www.greenandwhite.com/article/20081029/GW01/810290356

 

Time to move to Detroit since they will be adding about 100 or so people to the newsroom with this chunk of news regarding its circulation.

 

From a perspective of journalism exclusively and not the larger issue of taste and sensitivity, this is far worse than any Hitler comment. If you wouldn't write it in your newspaper, you shouldn't say it on TV.

 

Parker has since apologized. Doesn't make it right.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081029/SPORTS0202/810290368/1004/SPORTS

The embarrassing thing is Parker has a history of getting things like this wrong.

Say what you will about blogs, but about a year ago, a credible blog I follow had a snippet about Parker using a message board source as a main source in a story about a trade between the Bulls and Pistons. After all was said and done, it came about that the message board source was a high-schooler trying to stir up excitement on a message board.

 

Parker is an asshat. But I already thought that. FH has a great point. For a guy who is known to speak from an ivory tower (at least when he's on that stupid ESPN2 morning show) that's a pretty weak way to respond to the allegations.

 

The sad thing is Detroit media got rid of him once when he left for New York. Why the hell did they ever say yes to taking him back?

 

"Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel."

-- J. Jonah Jameson.

Actually, the apology makes it worse, since it is, in fact, an admission of guilt.

Parker has been infamous for making shit up completely out of thin air for decades. His "moles" and "peeps" are figments of somebody's imagination.

Nobody makes an apology like this unless a lawyer tells them they have to.

And lawyers won't tell them they have to unless they are dead to rights on the facts of the case. If there's even any wiggle room for doubt, you can claim "fair comment" or "public figure."

The fact that the lawyers ordered Parker to apologize means they believe he'd be dead meat for a lawsuit and must act to mitigate malice.

 

This would be the perfect excuse to get rid of someone who has been an embarrassment to the profession for a long, long time.

 

Yep. And it was said on TV. So...slander.

If that was your point.