Talk show host says reporters shouldn't report, gets zinged by Simers

I thought there would be interest here in this portion of T.J. Simers' column in Sunday's Los Angeles Times.

GOT A call from a Times reporter who was listening to sports talk on 710. He'll remain anonymous so people don't think less of him. He said someone on the D'Marco Farr and Gary Miller radio show was saying outrageous things about Reggie Bush and blasting the media because they insisted on reporting Bush received $100,000 in benefits.

I knew it couldn't be Miller, because he never says anything of consequence, so it had to be Farr, the former Los Angeles/St.Louis Ram defensive lineman. I called Farr, he was talking crazy, and it's amazing how long he can talk without taking a breath.

"I can't stand people who want to make their names off athletes," Farr said. "There are beat reporters who know stuff about players and don't report it; not everyone is a reporter trying to make a name for himself. Not everybody is out there to break stories. Why would you bring someone's parents into this? Why would you embarrass the Bush family? Who have they hurt? All they did was give birth to the kid. It's pointless to report on the stuff like this. Why would you want to be the guy who brings down Bush? Why would you want to help the NCAA?"

Others might feel the same way, especially those with a keen interest in USC's doing well, but I suspect rational people understand that things like this must play out.

"I don't care if the guy took $100,000 — $100,000 is a bit light for me for what he did for Southern California," Farr said. "It didn't shock me he was taking money. I just don't get it. Who has Bush hurt? Last I checked all he's done has helped USC. You got Kobe Bryant and criminal charges, OK, go at him."

From what I could gather, Farr was suggesting reporters shouldn't do their jobs, and while it's an interesting argument whether players should be paid for what income they generate for a university, at issue right now is whether Bush and USC broke existing rules.

"If I was the guy who found out something sneaky about Bush, I don't think I'd break that story," said Farr, who is working for the radio station that broadcasts USC games. "Why bring the story out? What's the point, it goes on every day at every major college."

If that's the case, Farr just broke a huge story.

I didn't know it when we were chatting, but I can understand his point of view now after doing a Google search. I learned Farr had been suspended while playing at Washington after an NCAA investigation revealed some players had been accused of being paid for doing work they never did.

I wonder if that was the fault of reporters?

The URL for the entire column, which discusses other topics, is http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers17sep17,1,2821514.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

 

Farr is quite opinionated and says all kinds of crazy things. He's on sports talk radio. he's going to say stuff that will draw the ire of people and, of course, force them to call into the show. And another thing, he works for the USC flagship station. Farr and Miller do their Tuesday show at USC and Carroll is on every week with them. Do you think he'll ask Carroll about it? Sounds like no.

 

Sports talk radio is a cesspool of terrible opinions. They are amazing at throwing shit against a wall and hoping it sticks.

Farr can't possibly believe what he said.

 

Farr is a friggin' moron. Has been since his days on the Worst Motherfuckin' Sports Show Period.

 

i've never heard of or heard this farr guy but i'm constantly amazed at how many people think the same thing - that the media shouldn't report stuff if it's bad.

people told me that all the time when i was in the business. in fact, i guarantee anyone who has been a journalist for more than about two months has been scolded, insulted or yelled at for writing something negative when all the reporter did was his job.

 

And then there is the opinion that journalists (sports or otherwise) don't report enough bad shit. As it stands right now, does anyone know what USC did with the money they earned from playing in three straight BCS games? The total is somewhere around $37 million. Did USC use the money to add more academic opportunities to those who might not normally have gotten in the school? Was their enrollment and classes offered commensurate with the increase in funds received for those three straight bowl games?

Oh no, you're right, let's call out Reggie Bush for getting an extra $100,000 and drag his family into the fray as well.

As for journalists getting yelled at, critiqued even assaulted as with the Broadcaster last week, it goes with the territory...suck it up, ask better questions and report more shit.

 

Welcome to the board, Mr. Farr.

As Mr. X said, the key point here is whether Bush broke the rules or not. His family's squalor is immaterial. The bottom line is apparently he broke the rules, and made little or no effort to hide it. The rules exist for a reason, whether you think they're unfair or not.

 

Years ago at a small paper, I broke a story of a local athlete who went on to a D-1 university to play basketball. He broke a minor NCAA by-law and we reported it. Later, a reporter at a weekly who was a resident of the community blasted the story, saying I had no idea "how things are done in this town" and that the story shouldn't have been written. I was amazed then and I still am. The reporter now drives a beer truck, last I heard. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

When it happens to the other guy you better be all over it like a fly on poop. If it happens to at home it goes on everywhere and should just let it play out and act like nothing ever happened.

I am sure Auburn fans would like to know if Reggie Bush cheated.

 

That's the two-faced thing I can't stand about fans, either. They don't want us to mention anything remotely negative about anything associated with players -- "just report the game" -- but then they'll suck up every feel-good story about a player's mom, dad, wife, kid or sibling.

 

Actually I'll bet no one has an issue with calling out Reggie Bush...if you are stupid enough to get caught then so be it.

But in reality you guys are just lap dogs for the ADs and University President's because you don't dig deeper into how all of that money is spent. What happened to USCs $37 million? Did they Title IX a women's surf team?

 

Yes, tell us all abou how to do it, Mr. Gandi-was-a-scrub-at-the-DMN and never made it in this business.

How's that uncovering the 9/11 hoax thing working out for you?