Bill Simmons this morning launched his first two podcasts as part of his deal with HBO, criticizing the way the media -- and ESPN specifically -- had covered the Deflategate story. Simmons has been vocal about the topic via his Twitter feed since his May departure from ESPN, and he said today the story was “reported terribly coming out of the gate." He said, "Somebody could write a great book about the media and just how this story was covered from start to finish, how things were swayed a certain way. The big lesson here is just get out early with whatever narrative you want to push and that’s the narrative people believe." He cited Chris Mortensen's January report that 11 of 12 balls in the AFC Championship game were "significantly under-inflated," saying it "turned out not to be true." Simmons: "What is funny is people still think it is true." He also said the difference in how ESPN and other media outlets covered NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's role in the proceedings "was embarrassing." He said, "I couldn't believe nobody called out ESPN about it." Simmons: "You had different radio personalities and people really going after how the NFL is handling this, how Goodell is handling this, all this stuff, especially in the weeks after the broken cell phone thing when it came out that they had obviously leaked stuff, that something really legitimately shady was going on. Then if you went to ESPN, you didn’t see anything. Charlie Pierce on Grantland was the only person who really went after them. On ESPN, they didn’t really do anything until that giant Don Van Natta/Seth Wickersham ‘Outside the Lines’ investigation. It was just hard to come away from that and not think that ESPN was in the bag for the NFL." He added, "My big takeaway from all of that is just how powerful the NFL is and how afraid everybody is of them.” Simmons later said, "I thought it was hilarious when Goodell finally decided to give his interview and it was with ‘Mike & Mike.’ Whoa, buckle up. Put some shoulder pads on, Roger. This one’s going to get rough” ("The Bill Simmons Podcast," 10/1).
CONE OF SILENCE REMOVED: Simmons opened his first podcast by saying, “I have not been heard from for almost five months. I would call it a sabbatical. Is that being kind? … Last year, I got suspended for some unflattering comments about Roger Goodell by my old employer, ESPN. We missed three weeks. We actually missed four. Then we came back triumphantly and now we had to miss more podcasts, and now we are back. We are finally back." He added he was "excited to poke fun at some of the ESPN on-air talent.” Simmons said of his upcoming show on HBO, “I am very excited to work with them. They’ve been great, a place that cares about creative people and freedom of speech. I am very excited about that” (“The Bill Simmons Podcast,” 10/1).
LETTING THINGS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES: Simmons this morning indicated that he would let the Deflategate podcast "speak for itself and was not doing any interviews on the topic for the moment." SI.com's Richard Deitsch notes ESPN PR has yet to respond as to whether they would like to "respond to the comments of Simmons." The podcast this morning was the "No. 1-ranked podcast on iTunes in the U.S." (SI.com, 10/1).
