Scoop or not?

[SockPuppet]

A story was written by Chip Brown a couple of weeks ago that Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds would announce his retirement, effective at the end of the year.

Today, the Austin American-Statesman reported that Dodds would announce Tuesday that he is retiring in August of 2014. Dodds is 76.

Brown is being praised for having the scoop on this story. Is it a scoop even if he was wrong on the retirement date by 8 months?

 

[Steak Snabler]

Reminds me of that scene in "All the President's Men" where Ben Bradlee tells the story about breaking the news that LBJ was looking to replace J. Edgar Hoover. LBJ then held a press conference appointing Hoover as head of the FBI for life. He then said "call Ben Bradlee and tell him '**** you.'"

I think Brown had it right, but when the news got out, Dodds decided to push it back partly as an f-you to Chip Brown, but also to quell rumors that Mack Brown will be fired the day after Dodds retires.

 

[LongTimeListener]

That's what I thought of reading the OP, Steak.

I'd be surprised if Chip Brown got something like that wrong. I think the ground just shifted later.

 

[Tarheel316]

I've seen that sort of thing happen before. Had it pulled on me once years ago when I was on the news side.

 

[Matt1735]

Dodds has some sort of annuity — I think for a million — is he's on the payroll on 8/31/14.

 

[PaperClip529]

I'm sorry, but I don't believe that the athletic director of one of the nation's most-powerful universities delayed his retirement for eight months to show up a writer.

 

[DanOregon]

End of the year, end of the school year...I was thinking he was delaying until August to buy Mack Brown another season after this one to turn it around, but it sounds like they'll be hiring a new AD in the next few months.

 

[joe_schmoe]

I would consider it a scoop, to an extent. When Chip got wind of it the info he had was probably accurate. Dobbs probably mentioned to a couple of his coworkers he planned to step down in Dec. No big deal. That got out. But in the process of figuring out the logistics of his retirement Dobbs realized it would be more practical to delay the date. Could be a contract issue, a pension deal, or just the board looking at hiring a replacement in a timely manner.
Those things happen. Happened to a local HS AD here, who a few years ago told me he was going to retire after the school year, then called me back later to say he'd be on staff one semester longer to collect full retirement.
Chip had to go with what Dobbs had said at the time. It's not like Chip said BREAKING: Dobbs will retire sometime before 2020. That wouldn't be a scoop.

 

[mediaguy]

He broke the news that Dodd was retiring. When in the future, to some extent, is fine print. And no, in no way did he take another 8 months on the job to prove a writer wrong. I think sometimes we think we matter more than we do ...

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Brown has been accused of being Dodds' mouthpiece. I don't know if that was fair or not, but if so it seems strange Dodds would go to such lengths to say "**** you" for breaking a relatively harmless story.