Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti is in the midst of the "worst crisis in his 10 years" at the helm, yet he "still seemed a man comfortable in how own skin as he addressed his questioners" during his Monday news conference, according to a front-page piece by Childs Walker of the Baltimore SUN. With "equal helpings of sentiment and defiance, of swagger and pained reflection, the 48-minute session with reporters said much about the man himself." Still, "not everyone was enamored with the performance." But Bisciotti can "fall back on his long-held reputation as a model sports owner." Bisciotti has "faced occasional controversy," but "very little for a man in his position." He also is "well regarded by his peers." Neither NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell nor "any of the other 31 owners have stepped forward to condemn him." There also is "no indication the league is likely to comment" before former FBI Dir Robert Mueller "completes his investigation." Bisciotti gave a "wry smile when asked Monday about the prospect of being forced to sell." He replied, "If they force me to sell, then I guess I'll sell. … You know what? It's the first I've heard about it. I don't work that hard anyway. So if I sold the team, it's not like I would be losing 60 hours a week." Friends describe Bisciotti as "intensely loyal, someone who prefers to be surrounded by family and longtime associates rather than stars and big shots." He "strives to remain out of the public eye, saving most of his comments on the Ravens for a few annual sessions he holds with reporters." Bisciotti "built a reputation for spending whatever was needed to make the Ravens first class but for letting his top lieutenants do their jobs with minimal interference" (Baltimore SUN, 9/24).
PERFORMANCE REVIEW: CBS Sports Network’s Jim Rome said, "While I respect the fact that Bisciotti was the ‘anti-Goodell’ and actually seemed open to answering a few questions, he certainly didn’t do a very good job with those answers" (
"Rome," CBS Sports Network, 9/23). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said he was "astounded by how relaxed" Bisciotti appeared at the press conference. Le Batard: "He appeared to be a person who has never done anything wrong here or is real comfortable around doing wrong things." ESPN's Bomani Jones said, "He did a really bad job of pretending to actually care what we think. There was the poor taste of telling jokes about the fact that they did not have any women in the front office with the Ravens" (
"Highly Questionable," ESPN2, 9/23). ESPN's Pablo Torre said it was "reprehensible" how he laughed off the lack of females in leadership positions with the team. Torre: "What I was looking for was some sincere expression of empathy for domestic violence victims and women. What we got instead was this extended distinction between an open fist and a closed hand in terms of excusing the behavior." ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said Bisciotti looked like an owner "that knows he's under siege and blamed the messenger." MacMullan: "Did you ever once hear him express remorse about the fact that we're talking about a domestic abuse?" (
"Around The Horn," ESPN, 9/23).
