Simms To Be Profiled On ESPN; Several Interviews Missing

Univ. of TX (UT) QB Chris Simms will be featured during ESPN's College SportsCentury tomorrow at 7:30pm ET, according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. But viewers "won't hear from Simms or Texas coach Mack Brown, or anybody associated with the Texas program, since" the UT athletic department "declined to cooperate with ESPN." ESPN officials "could recall only two other SportsCentury shows involving a living subject (the others were Bill Russell and Jennifer Capriati) in which the subject in question refused to be interviewed." ESPN Programming GM Mark Shapiro said UT "didn't give us a real solid reason. In fact, I believe their thinking was that if Simms didn't cooperate, we would drop the show altogether. Our position was just because they wouldn't cooperate doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue what is a very big college football headline story. Simms is a major story" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/10). In Dallas, Barry Horn notes that Simms will be the ninth collegian profiled since the show debuted in October. More Shapiro, on several parties refusing to be interviewed for the Simms' piece: "It was weird. Normally, we meet with total cooperation. ... The show has been well received." UT Media Relations Dir John Bianco said, "Chris doesn't believe he has done anything to have earned such recognition. He wants to accomplish something first" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/11).