Rummel (La.) High school WR Ja'Marr Chase on Monday was expected to make his college decision between LSU and TCU on NFL Network, but the announcement "didn't go as planned," according to Rod Walker of the New Orleans ADVOCATE. NFL Net was "taping live" from the Nike Opening Finals in Oregon, but the hour-long broadcast "ran out of time" before Chase took the stage to make his decision. His father, Jimmy Chase, said, "They bumped him for another guy." Walker noted North Side (Tenn.) High School DT Greg Emerson "announced on the show as Chase was waiting his turn" (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 7/4). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith notes NFL Net "has offered Chase an opportunity to appear on television and make his announcement this week, although Chase and his family appear to be upset with the network for not putting him on in the first place." NFL Media Group VP/Communications Alex Riethmiller said they are "trying to facilitate" him doing it on "NFL Total Access." The net also said that it "didn’t intend to bump Chase off its coverage but that his 7-on-7 game ran late and he wasn’t available at the time he was supposed to make his live announcement" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 7/5). In New Orleans, James Smith wrote a prospect's commitment is "often just another way to get clicks or draw viewers to their program" for journalists and media outlets. What NFL Net did to Chase "may have been in the pursuit of ratings, but they forgot that people matter, too." The net "held the responsibility of making Chase's moment special," but they "failed, and they failed miserably" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/4).
