Minnesota Vikings: don't videotape our injured players

Based on this Minny Star-Trib report, the Vikings could be a good team for Charlie Weis to coach some day.

http://www.startribune.com/129/story/608027.html

The story in part:

"The KSTP camera was isolated on Vikings safety Tank Williams Saturday with the expectation that this would provide yet another in a long line of mundane training-camp footage. But that changed when Williams crumpled to the ground after planting his foot and let out a scream.

"Williams had a broken left kneecap and, for better or worse, KSTP had the most compelling footage of the injury happening. Only viewers never saw it.

"Why? Because of a rule the franchise instituted this year under new coach Brad Childress. It reads as follows: "Coach Childress requests the following of photographers: When a player incurs an injury on the practice field, still and video photography of the player is to halt immediately following the occurrence; cameras are asked not to film the player being treated by the medical staffs on the field." ...

 

Seems like they could have run the footage anyway. The order said they can't show treatment -- not the actual injury. If the cameraman was lucky enough to be filming it, then run it.

That said, it seems a little bullshitty to me. Why don't they just ask the media not to report on roster moves or losses? Let's keep things positive here!

 

That's not all that unusual. A number of NFL teams -- including the one I help cover -- have enacted such policies.

Doesn't make it right, though.

 

However, video of stippers, and of players being led away in handcuffs after typical Viking tomfoolery on pleasure boats, is OK.

Carry on.

 

Screw you, Brad, and screw all these assbandits who think Bill Belichick's way is God.

 

Childress is a chump.

His qualifications for the head job in Minnesota

1. Never been a head coach at college or NFL levels
2. Never called plays in an NFL game
3. Served as Andy Reid's caddy in Philly
4. T.O. told him, 'speak to me only when I speak to you.'

And then he announces to the world he wants to trade Daunte (good-bye, leverage) and then signs Mike McMahon -- perhaps the Worst QB In The League last year -- as a back up to a 49-year old Brad Johnson.

 

Since T.O. talks all the time, I guess he and Childress spoke a lot.

 

This is horrible.

I'm so thankful my station has a ballsy GM.  

KSTP should have aired the footage.  If credentials are pulled, so what?  It's not like TV photogs can shoot the games anymore.  Get postgame from a feed service.  There's no need for TV stations to attend these games anymore.

The GM made the call at KSTP-- not the news director-- that's telling.  It would be the equivalent of a newspaper publisher, and not an editor, making a decision on a news story.

I envision a day in the near future when teams will be able to retract their quotes-- under threat of credentials being pulled.

 

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this story, but my first reaction was two words: Korey Stringer.

Which leads to a one-word answer: Liability.

 

I think it's less Korey Stringer than, as BYH said, everyone trying to be a junior Belichick.

Belichick winning three SBs in four years was one of the worst things that ever happened to media that cover the NFL. It legitimized his approach, and spawned all these asswipe imitators.

 

I was talking about this with a buddy a couple months back. Both of the college teams we cover have similar policies.
We kind of came to the agreement that schools, teams, etc. are freaked out about HIPAA issues because they don't understand what it means. If said athlete was walking down the street and got shot and received medical attention, you would have no problem filming, shooting, whatever. So why does being on public school property change it?
Obviously, not all of that applies to a privately owned pro sports franchise.

 

HIPA is just a hunk of shit excuse for teams not to give out information.

"Sorry, but HIPA regulations preclude us from releasing more information."

Bullshit.