ESPN's Michelle Beadle and CNN's Rachel Nichols wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning that they "had been denied credentials" to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight, meaning they "would not be able to cover" the event, according to John Branch of the N.Y. TIMES. Beadle on Twitter said the two had been "banned from the MGM Grand Arena" by Mayweather Promotions, which controlled distribution of credentials. But in dispute is "whether the credentials were pulled and reinstated only as the controversy began." Nichols went on to say in a statement that the Mayweather camp "eventually reversed its position on Saturday." Beadle wrote on Twitter, “After hearing my credential was pulled, I went home. Told this morning that HBO was able to get it re-approved last night.” Branch noted Beadle has been "openly critical of Mayweather," while Nichols interviewed the boxer last year, asking "repeated questions about his violent past" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/3). Swanson Communications President Kelly Swanson, whose company works with Mayweather Promotions, on Saturday tweeted, "No one including ME banned @Rachel__Nichols from covering the fight. She is already credentialed. #Facts. ... And @MichelleDBeadle isn't even on the press list. She's credentialed through @HBOboxing. Yes credentialed. #Fact#2" Swanson said, "I'll take it as a misunderstanding. But Rachel Nichols was never banned from the event" (USATODAY.com, 5/2). Swanson added, "Michelle has always been credentialed through HBO. Rachel has always been credentialed through CNN. CNN gets one seat in the arena, they can choose whoever can sit there -- including Nichols" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/3).
MAKING SENSE OF THINGS: ESPN's Jeremy Schaap cited a source as saying that Mayweather Promotions "insisted on having approval of the credential applications" built into the fight contract. A source said that Mayweather Promotions "blocked Beadle" on Friday night. However, the source added that Top Rank "appealed" to CBS President & CEO Les Moonves, "who had [the] decision reversed." A source said that Nichols also "was blocked," but that decision was "also reversed." A Mayweather Promotions source said that Nichols "had [a] temporary credential, but CNN never confirmed she'd need [a] fight credential." A Showtime source said that it "had nothing to do with Beadle's credential situation," but only that it "denied her permission to film inside [the] arena" (TWITTER.com, 5/2). Nichols in a tweet said she was "told repeatedly she would not have a credential for the fight." Nichols on Saturday tweeted, "It doesn't surprise me that now, after facing significant backlash, the Mayweather camp has reversed its position." In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont noted Nichols "tweeted out details of their denied access" soon after 9:00am PT, less than an hour after "working credentials first started to be doled out." Nichols and Beadle "each tweeted similar messages ... each of them placing the onus on Mayweather's camp." But Beadle later "updated her Twitter account and validated Swanson's contention that she actually was credentialed for the event." Dupont wrote, "Ultimately, by the end of the day, both women were shown to be wrong with their initial tweets. Both, by their choice, did not cover the fight" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/3).
NOT A GOOD LOOK: YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote if Nichols or Beadle was "ever denied a credential due to their coverage, that’s just dumb public relations." It was "pointless, drew more attention to Mayweather's ugly history and potentially turned some customers away" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/2). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg today said, “Anyone who is surprised by this doesn't know anything about boxing. Boxing is a magnificent sport … (but) the business is a disgrace. It's a cesspool. It has been forever. This was just another example of that. Was pulling the credentials of these reporters who dared to ask the right questions, was that an unclassy -- I'm not sure what the right thing is to say -- move? Of course it was, but that's boxing. That’s because no one is in charge. Rachel Nichols, of everyone I saw, asked by far the toughest questions of Roger Goodell when he had that first press conference after the whole Ray Rice thing. She was there, everyone talked about it. Can you imagine if the NFL had pulled her credentials to cover NFL games the rest of the way? They wouldn't because they're a professional organization. This is not. This is the seedy underbelly of the sports world.” ESPN’s Mike Golic added, “I don't know if there's a worse business outside of maybe FIFA” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 5/4).
