Edwards (r) offered up an apology to the two Michigan football players on Twitter yesterdayBRAYLON EDWARDS
Big Ten Network's Braylon Edwards' "decision to criticize" Michigan football players in a since-deleted tweet led to him being suspended indefinitely for a "violation of the network's social media guidelines," according to Nick Baumgardner of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. UM football coach Jim Harbaugh prior to the suspension said, "It's disappointing that a member of the Big Ten Network would choose to attack the character of two of our players." Edwards, a UM alum, "offered up an apology to the players" on Twitter yesterday, though he "stood by his criticism of the Michigan program as a whole" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/4). AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz wrote Harbaugh "specifically referencing Edwards' employment" with BTN is a "bit strange." This sort of logic is "sometimes used to argue that league network personnel shouldn't be critical of the teams in that league, and that's not a good approach." As for BTN, the "timing of this suspension is at best unfortunate." Maybe the net "already planned to punish Edwards" before Harbaugh complained, but the "timing certainly makes it look like this was a reaction to pushback from one of their league's highest-profile coaches" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 9/3).
NORTHWEST PASS: The San Jose Mercury News' Jon Wilner cited sources as saying that ESPN's Mark Jones "won't be assigned" to any Univ. of Washington football games this season (TWITTER.com, 9/3). In Seattle, Adam Jude noted after UW's loss to Auburn, Jones tweeted, "Huskies took one one on the chin. Where's Montana?" Jones "added another bizarre chapter to his apparent personal feud" with UW. Jones was the "play-by-play broadcaster for UW's victory" over Cal at Husky Stadium last season. Late in that game, Jones called UW football coach Chris Petersen "irascible and somewhat cantankerous." Earlier in that game, ESPN sideline reporter Quint Kessenich "placed three cupcakes on the Husky Stadium turf to represent the Huskies' three nonconference opponents" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/4).
GETTING UPSET ABOUT THIS? SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes nobody sees Edwards "as an objective broadcaster," as viewers "know he's rooting for Michigan in every capacity." If the BTN "really cared about objectivity, they wouldn't have Edwards ever talk about the Wolverines." Meanwhile, the "sensitivity displayed by Washington and the Pac 12 is just laughable" regarding Jones. The broadcaster sent a "lighthearted tweet" about UW's schedule, and the "conference higher ups are all up in arms?" Traina: "Could you possibly be more sensitive? How does that harmless tweet sent by Jones mean he can't call a Washington game? It's ridiculous" (SI.com, 9/4).
