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ESPN the Mag does Tony Washington story, Jenna Laine speaks

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Piotr Rasputin, Aug 28, 2010.

  1. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    No one here, etc.

    :D
     
  2. gingerbread

    gingerbread Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Damn editors, always trying to make us look bad.
    :p
     
  3. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Just trying to be that helpful editor
     
  4. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    I agree with almost everything Gingerbread said.

    But I'm not sure I call it dubious police tactics. If the police come across a 15 year old on the streets, who may be involved in prostitution (it sounds like they thought she was involved in prostitution), I think they have to investigate whether or not there is/was abuse in the home.

    The last thing the cops would have been looking for is consensual sex with her 16-year-old-brother, but they had to look for abuse. And once she told them about what happened between her and her brother, they didn't have much of a choice but to act on the information.

    The DA could have used his/her discretion, but the cops hands are pretty much tied & I can't really blame them for taking that road of inquiry.
     
  5. JennaLaine

    JennaLaine Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Hey all,
    Didn't realize this had come up on the boards until Kevin had emailed me. I'm here though. If I can answer any of your questions, I will. I had answered some a while back, but I guess that thread got locked before they were ever posted. I knew about the ESPN story beforehand because Tony actually contacted me to tell me about it. I had been following his arena career and did a followup piece on him.

    He actually thanked me for it. It meant a lot knowing that he and his family were okay with everything that transpired because I had a difficult time in the months following that story, particularly when his name wasn't called on Draft day.

    For the record, this was something NFL scouts knew about a year ahead of time. I talked to two college scouting directors on Saturday about this very subject as a matter of fact. They knew about Tony's past well before the NFL Scouting Combine. Some writers may have known too but didn't want to cross that line because they preferred the X's and O's pieces. I thought it was a compelling story, despite not wanting to do it initially. The more I learned though, the more it became apparent that despite the initial shock of it all, there really was more that met the eye. So I did what any 24-year old eager reporter, working two jobs would do - I jumped.

    I understand the sister issue is a very sensitive subject. I did have an editor for it. We debated it for quite some time. It wasn't something that was taken lightly, and to think I had somehow violated her privacy really weighed on me for quite some time. It still does.

    I caught a lot of flack for this story. I'm okay with it now, although I hope coming on here doesn't open up a whole new can of worms and set me up for more personal attacks. I guess I’m okay with that now though. I know I may have made some mistakes with this. Those who were so kind (and even not so kind) to provide constructive feedback – thank you. I appreciate you lending your time and expertise so I can learn.

    Really I was trying to fulfill my obligation of reporting the truth, and in the process, perhaps shed light on what’s becoming a growing problem in our judicial system. The system forgives by releasing offenders back into the real world, yet society really doesn’t give them a second chance. Would you be willing to give him a second chance?

    And what about the NFL? Without giving too much of my own personal opinion here, I find it bizarre how there are guys playing in the league right now who have battered their wives, been on trial for rape, or have committed murder.

    Ultimately the most important thing for me with this was doing my job, while allowing that young man to keep his dignity, and his family’s dignity. The fact that he reached out to me a few weeks ago to tell me that finally gave me some much-needed peace with all this. I think Allison Glock did a fine job on the story. Wouldn't really say it's any 'vindication' for me though.
     
  6. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Keep his dignity ?? You outed him and his sister to the world, probably cost him a draft slot and made it easier for Allison Glock to right her story since you had already got the story out there.
     
  7. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    I give Jenna credit for coming back & posting here.

    She struck a humble and conciliatory tone. She admitted making mistakes.

    And while I think it's fair to criticize her regarding naming the sister, I don't think it's fair to criticize how the article affected Washington's draft status.

    It's not a reporter's job to worry about how a story will affect a player's draft status. There's no reason to look to screw somebody, but you can't sit on a story because it might negatively affect the subject of it.
     
  8. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Why did the story need to get written?
     
  9. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Disagree on costing him a draft slot, Boom - big time.

    I can see questioning the dignity issue, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that gingerbread struck the perfect tone with her take on Jenna's piece. I didn't necessarily agree with the approach, either, but based on her last post, Jenna has come across as someone who will learn and grow from this. Can't argue with her tone, as YF pointed out.

    But cost him a draft slot? That's as ridiculous a statement as a parent who berates the sports department for costing his/her child a scholarship because of a perceived lack of coverage. If the scouts and background sorts weren't aware of those issues before Laine's piece came out, they weren't doing their jobs.
     
  10. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Checking the pre draft rankings shows Washington ranked anywhere from 10 to 14 in draft which should have gotten him drafted
     
  11. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    If that's the case, those scouts and those who perform some semblance of a background check should review their process, refine it and minimize the chances of another potential oversight down the road.

    But, regardless of the tone she took, Jenna Laine didn't cost the man a chance to be drafted. He did that to himself.
     
  12. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Re: Vindication for Jenna Laine? ESPN the Mag on Tony Washington

    Based on NFL Draft rankings from NFL.com 14 offensive tackles got drafted that had lower ratings than Washington. Some even with half as good a rating. Washington was a 5 and some of tackles drafted were 2.5's. Obviously something changed from Combine rankings.
     
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