Saban comments

[Omar_dont_scare]

You guys are msissing the point. It's the Mizzougrad doctrine of selective ethics.

Guy I say is a ****in' stud= 5% blame
Scumbag talk radio guy = 95% blame

Because we all know ****in' studs are entitled and talk radio guys are all scum.

Fireable offense. Probably not. Worthy of discipline, yes. Darlington mostly to blame...absolutely.

Now, if it'd been Jemele Hill who sent the audio to the radio guy...

 

[SEC Guy]

I completely agree with Mizzougrad. I've been in this business for decades and I've lost count of the times that another writer has played me tape of a meltdown that a coach or AD left on their voice mail. It happens all the time.

I've met a lot of young punks over the years and I met Jeff when he was covering Florida, Darlington is one of the nicest, most professional, aggressive reporters around. He epitomizes everything you want to see in a young reporter.

Darlington is the victim here. He's not blameless, but anyone who suggests that he should be fired doesn't know what they're talking about.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

I completely agree with Mizzougrad. I've been in this business for decades and I've lost count of the times that another writer has played me tape of a meltdown that a coach or AD left on their voice mail. It happens all the time.

I've met a lot of young punks over the years and I met Jeff when he was covering Florida, Darlington is one of the nicest, most professional, aggressive reporters around. He epitomizes everything you want to see in a young reporter.

Darlington is the victim here. He's not blameless, but anyone who suggests that he should be fired doesn't know what they're talking about.

Not saying he should be fired. Never met JD, don't know him from a ham sandwich, only know him by his work, which is very good. I have no ill will toward him, and have no reason to. I wish I had his job and worked for that paper. Certainly don't hate or have any jealousy because of it. Not my style.

But, given this situation, the circumstances and his involvement, I'd have to imagine he faces discipline of some sort.

No way he should be fired for it, though.

At the same time, there's a difference between playing you tape of a meltdown, and e-mailing you your own copy which you might be tempted to send to someone else, and so on.

 

[shockey]

Darlington is the victim here. He's not blameless, but anyone who suggests that he should be fired doesn't know what they're talking about.

i can back off my intitial reaction that it should cost jeff his job. but he should be disciplined substantially. he's totally at fault. playing a tape for a friend's amusement is one thing we've probably all done.

but sending an electronic media person a copy of the taped interview you conducted with someone is just stupid beyond comprehension. it's really hard to fathom how golden-boy jeff could have done this under any circumstances.

i, too, have been in the biz forever. this episode is simply incredible to me. so are the defenses of jeff.

 

[Ike Broflovski]

****ing savages? No, Mizzougrad, Darlington violated the trust of a source. I don't think you can put it any simpler than that.

It's indefensible, really, and the Herald is only making it worse by rationalizing it. If you really did graduate from Mizzou in 1996, Mizzougrad, that makes me somewhat older than you. I have solid credentials. Like others, I've worked hard to accomplish the things I've accomplished; no one has given me anything. I'm not Crusader Rabbit -- I know there are lots of gray areas in this business -- but this one is clear.

To suggest that everyone does this at one point or another, and that the radio scumbag betrayed Darlington's trust, is to miss the point by a million miles. Saban told him the story, or gave the reporters the entire interview (I can't really tell), under the condition that it remain private.

The moment he e-mailed the interview to the radio person, even if he was just passing it along for entertainment, he violated that trust. I'd bet that Darlington thought it wouldn't get as much attention as it has, but it did, and I'd also bet that he's pretty damn sorry he passed it to anyone.

Beyond that, Darlington knew exactly what he had -- a coach who is vilified in Miami making a derogatory, if not necessarily racist, remark. Saban has more important things to worry about, but you can be damn sure that he's not going to be saying, "And this is off the record," in an interview any time soon.

 

[greggdoyel]

You people. You kill me. Here's a young guy who's probably in most cases better than you, farther ahead than you, and clearly more well-known than you. And here's your chance to take him down a peg, so you take it. What a bunch of losers. Darlington made a mistake, but it's the kind of mistake a LOT of you -- us -- might have made. That tape had some gold on it, and my guess is Jeff was sharing it with a friend from the radio station with no intention of it ever getting out. You people. Unbelievable.

 

[shockey]

First of all, go **** yourself...

Secondly, go **** yourself again...

My guess is that people on here are just loving that this has happened to someone who is widely viewed as one of the best young writers around...

You guys are ****ing savages...

someone needs to take a chill pill, no?

 

[satchmo]

You people. You kill me. Here's a young guy who's probably in most cases better than you, farther ahead than you, and clearly more well-known than you. And here's your chance to take him down a peg, so you take it. What a bunch of losers. Darlington made a mistake, but it's the kind of mistake a LOT of you -- us -- might have made. That tape had some gold on it, and my guess is Jeff was sharing it with a friend from the radio station with no intention of it ever getting out. You people. Unbelievable.

Hallelujah. A voice of reason.

On an anonymous, industry message board. I think we can slow down on the hysterical cries of outrage. You're both right, but it's not like someone is breaking the windows to his car or pissing under his desk. They're pointing out that what he did hurts the credibility of all journalists. And that's true. Every time any one of us ****s up, it hurts us all. It's the nature of the beast. But, you're both right, he didn't do anything exceedingly wrong — just wrong. No more, no less.

 

[shockey]

You people. You kill me. Here's a young guy who's probably in most cases better than you, farther ahead than you, and clearly more well-known than you. And here's your chance to take him down a peg, so you take it. What a bunch of losers. Darlington made a mistake, but it's the kind of mistake a LOT of you -- us -- might have made. That tape had some gold on it, and my guess is Jeff was sharing it with a friend from the radio station with no intention of it ever getting out. You people. Unbelievable.

hey, you can kiss my butt, gregg. this has NOTHING to do with any kind of "jealousy." jeff darlington isn't a blip on my radar screen. believe me, i only wish for anyone here half the career i've been blessed to have, in a market jeff probably aspires to reach some day.

this isn't about savagely attacking someone. it's about pointing out a mistake of serious proportions. that's all.

no need to come on here and cast aspersions on those of us trying to calmly discuss a very relevant topic. i'm sure jeff has learned a painful lesson. it should serve as a lesson for everyone.

it's stunning to me it was a lesson he needed to learn. any way you slice it, he was STUPID.

 

[Rockbottom]

hey, you can kiss my butt, gregg. this has NOTHING to do with any kind of "jealousy." jeff darlington isn't a blip on my radar screen. believe me, i only wish for anyone here half the career i've been blessed to have, in a market jeff probably aspires to reach some day.

this isn't about savagely attacking someone. it's about pointing out a mistake of serious proportions. that's all.

no need to come on here and cast aspirations on those of us trying to calmly discuss a very relevant topic. i'm sure jeff has learned a painful lesson. it should serve as a lesson for everyone.

it's stunning to me it was a lesson he needed to learn. any way you slice it, he was STUPID.

I concur WHOLEHEARTEDLY and in FULL VOICE with this post. I don't know Darlington from the guy who throws the paper in my driveway each morning, but I know he ****ed up here. If you want to play in the big sandbox, prepare to be criticized for your mistakes. And anyone who argues otherwise is blinded by their friendship/admiration/suck-up-itude of the guy to see otherwise.

rb

 

[shockey]

Jeff's good people and it's unfortunate that so many are taking such delight in this.

Truly ****ing pathetic...

"good people" make mistakes. jeff made a big one that hurts OUR credibility. why are you so fired up about the heat he's drawing for this? to me, that's what comes off as pathetic, bro.

 

[greggdoyel]

Shockey, I don't know the cool way to highlight your posts, but here are four things you've said on this thread:

1. "if this doesn't get a reporter fired, what will? ... thanks for nothing, jeff."

2. "he deserves to be whacked simply on the grounds of stupidity"

3. "it's really hard to fathom how golden-boy jeff could have done this under any circumstances."

4. "this isn't about savagely attacking someone. it's about pointing out a mistake of serious proportions. that's all."

Those are your words, in order. But you want me to believe that your call for his firing is not "savagely attacking" this "golden boy" in a case that has "NOTHING to do with any kind of jealousy"?

Shockey, this is my last post here because I'm at the Super Bowl and I'm too damn busy. My heart goes out to Jeff, who I've met once in my life but who deserves better than he is getting here. If you're in Miami, Shockey, introduce yourself to me Sunday. I'll keep your identity secret. I've got to see for myself someone who claims, "believe me, i only wish for anyone here half the career i've been blessed to have, in a market jeff probably aspires to reach some day."

Because I don't believe you're 1/20th as accomplished as you say you are.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

Shockey, I don't know the cool way to highlight your posts, but here are four things you've said on this thread:

1. "if this doesn't get a reporter fired, what will? ... thanks for nothing, jeff."

2. "he deserves to be whacked simply on the grounds of stupidity"

3. "it's really hard to fathom how golden-boy jeff could have done this under any circumstances."

4. "this isn't about savagely attacking someone. it's about pointing out a mistake of serious proportions. that's all."

Those are your words, in order. But you want me to believe that your call for his firing is not "savagely attacking" this "golden boy" in a case that has "NOTHING to do with any kind of jealousy"?

Shockey, this is my last post here because I'm at the Super Bowl and I'm too damn busy. My heart goes out to Jeff, who I've met once in my life but who deserves better than he is getting here. If you're in Miami, Shockey, introduce yourself to me Sunday. I'll keep your identity secret. I've got to see for myself someone who claims, "believe me, i only wish for anyone here half the career i've been blessed to have, in a market jeff probably aspires to reach some day."

Because I don't believe you're 1/20th as accomplished as you say you are.

Maybe you should look him up.

 

[Rockbottom]

Just guessing here, but if someone can become the Miami Dolphins beat writer for the Miami Herald at 25, there aren't going to be too many things he doesn't accomplish during his career...

But I'm sure deep down, he wants to be as good as Shockey...

Not if he keeps doing dumb **** like this -- **** that requires his newspaper to write a story of apology in it ... Can't recall how terribly often *that* happens.

rb

 

[shockey]

ask around, gregg. someone at the supe can tell you who "shockey" is, i'm sure.

as i have posted, too, my intitial reaction of the young man deserving to be fired was, upon further review, an over-reaction. it's the beauty about time giving us perspective.

that said, the defenses waged by jeff's supporters is stunning to me.

the kid effed up. end of story. i'm sure he won't do it again. and i'm equally confident his bosses are greatly chagrined that he did what he did -- as we all should be.

really, what is there to argue?

 

[Hammer Pants]

For what my opinion is worth — probably not much — it is a ****up. Not worth firing AT ALL, but it is a **** up. I believe a big part of a beat guy's job to is to demand accountability and responsibility from the people we cover, and to blame this on anyone but Darlington is wrong. It was off the record, and he passed it on. You better be damn sure you can trust someone if you pass that kind of tape around. Damn sure. With e-mails, things can spread so quickly, and boom, enough "friends of a friend" have a copy for it to get out.

Jeff is a good writer and has always seemed like a good guy the couple of times we've chatted in press boxes. I'm about the same age as him, went to another SEC school and finished second a few times to him in competitions. I respect his work and while I like where I am at this point in my career, he's certainly one of the most successful guys our age out there.

But he ****ed up here, and it's a black eye for all of us. I don't see how anyone can argue against that. I hope this is just a blip on his resume, though. I think it will be.

 

[shockey]

Just guessing here, but if someone can become the Miami Dolphins beat writer for the Miami Herald at 25, there aren't going to be too many things he doesn't accomplish during his career...

But I'm sure deep down, he wants to be as good as Shockey...

ouch. that hurts. how will i ever recover?

oh, yes, knowing the truth is all the info i need. ;D ;D ;D

 

[Hammer Pants]

I really hope I didn't sound preachy. We have enough people outside the business who hate us, and we don't need to do this **** to ourselves. But off the record is off the record. That has to stay sacred for us to do what we do.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

My stance is obviously not a popular one. But considering half the people who post here will be taking prep agate tonight and most of the young talent in our business is unfairly shredded here on a regular basis, I do feel the need to defend someone who is being treated like he's Jayson ****ing Blair...

What an incredibly arrogant, elitist thing to say... Much like your comments about SEC writers and the South.

Saying that the only person who can criticize a "****ing stud" would be one who has also reached such status is a laughable statement lacking all logic.

Are there haters here? Sure. But there is a difference between ripping and having an earnest discussion about an issue that affects us all. And I would think the validity of someone's opinion matters more than how they spend their Thursday night on the job.

Darlington made a mistake by sending the audio. He didn't relate it to some guys over a beer, he didn't play the tape for someone in the press box, he handed them the raw, unadulterated source material. It was a mistake. How can this even be argued, no matter how good he is?

 

[SF_Express]

A minor side benefit: I'll bet this becomes a lesson for all, and I'll bet people are going to think twice about swapping this kind of stuff in the future.