Jim Irsay arrested, charged with DUI & drug possession

I'm not saying don't scrutinize him, but I don't think you can justify the kind of lengthy investigation into something this nebulous and have it be worthwhile. Not to mention story after story of "Irsay appeared to be under the influence" or "Irsay has a history of painkiller abuse" with no further documentation will start to look like a vendetta pretty quickly.

It'd be different if he, for example, asked for a taxpayer-funded stadium and instead used that money to fund a Walter White-like meth lab. Since it was largely confined to his private life, you better have all your ducks in a row before going to press, and THAT would probably take MONTHS that most papers don't have to spare.

 

If the response had been that everyone was shocked, that would be one thing.

But, people didn't say, "oh my god, there were no signs. He hid it so well."

If, "everyone was worried about him" and they had been "begging him to check into rehab" there had to be signs. This was an open secret.

 

And, if no one goes on the record and he's never charged with anything, you're now accusing a high-profile member of the community of a crime with NO evidence.

And, it's not as if Irsay's erratic behavior wasn't already on display for all to see. Any story about the REASON for such behavior without proper documentation would've been irresponsible journalism, plain and simple.

 

On display for who?

Insiders like newspaper reporters and columnists, who have "access" to the team facilities?

The average fan doesn't interact with Jim Irsay. They rely on the press, who are granted their access on behalf of the public, to tell them what they learn as a result of their access.

And, I'm sorry if this is a tough story. You don't always get a videotape sent to you (kissing Congressman story), but a reporters skill set is supposed to include getting people to talk.

Kravitz appears to have just thrown up his hands. He doesn't say that he tried to get anyone to go on the record and couldn't. He says there was nothing he could do.

Did he even go to an editor and tell him that it was an open secret that Irsay was using? That their were signs, like his weight loss, and erratic behavior? Did he tell his editors that staff was worried about Irsay, and urging him to check into rehab? Did he ask for resources to report the story?

 

https://twitter.com/JimIrsay

 

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/kravitz/2014/03/17/kravitz-irsay-fighting-for-his-life-needs-help/6523925/

 

LOL.

OK. I guess no one needs a press pass. The public has as much access to Jim Irsay as the reporters and columnists at the local paper, since he sometimes interacts with them on twitter.

Shocked that his twitter followers didn't notice his weight loss, or his dilated pupils from his twitter profile.

I guess the public also needs to follow the twitter accounts of staff members. Do they tweet their concerns about him there?

 

How does that dispute what I wrote?

There is no evidence of an attempt to report the story. There was nothing he could do but wait. He was helpless.

Even the reference to the way steroids were covered/not covered is funny. By most accounts, the way the issue was handled was journalistic malpractice.

Tom Verducci is a fucking laughing stock for how he avoided the issue.

 

Or you could try to turn an educated guess into facts by investigating it. If you can't find concrete evidence you don't write it but shouldn't an effort be made?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Publishing_Co._v._Butts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkovich_v._Lorain_Journal_Co.

 

Because Irsay, no matter how public a figure you THINK he is, still has a certain right to privacy.

 

Who's saying he should have gone with "recklessly gathered and unchecked" information?

When I use "report" as a verb, in certain circumstances (which I hope were obvious from the context), it is synonymous with "investigate".

He should have "reported"-- i.e. "investigated" -- the story.