The NFL is acquiring a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN, but one veteran journalist at the Worldwide Leader isn’t worried about a potential conflict of interest.
ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta Jr. lambasted Dan Patrick after the former “SportsCenter” anchor questioned if the outlet would still cover negative NFL stories.
“Dan, [ESPN reporter Kalyn Kahler] and I did a run of exclusive reporting on the NFLPA story that led directly to Lloyd Howell’s resignation: A confidentiality agreement, the Carlyle Group, strip club receipts,” Van Natta posted on X Wednesday night.
“Do your homework before you malign your ex-colleagues. I’m embarrassed for you.”
Van Natta and Kahler teamed up to report nine stories for ESPN about the recent NFLPA scandal and Howell’s resignation in recent weeks.
On Wednesday’s episode of his “Dan Patrick Show,” Patrick voiced his skepticism on how ESPN will handle the deal from a journalistic standpoint.
“The journalist in me would point out the conflict of interest, but ESPN can’t be any further in bed with the NFL,” Patrick said. “Are they going to look the other way with any negative story that comes up? They probably already do that.
“I don’t know how deep ESPN went in on the mess of the NFL Players Association. I know [Pro Football Talk’s Mike] Florio did, a couple people did.”
That prompted Van Natta’s post, and a subsequent message that continued to blast Patrick for his comments: “Imagine saying ‘the journalist in me’ and then failing Journalism 101.”
When someone replied and pointed out that Van Natta’s exposé was on the NFLPA, and not the league itself, the reporter replied: “I am not going to tick off the dozens of investigative stories I have done about the NFL since joining ESPN in 2012. Look them up.”
Van Natta, a two-time Pulitzer Award winner, has been at ESPN since 2012. Before that, he was an investigative correspondent for the New York Times for 16 years.
The NFL is acquiring its equity stake in ESPN in exchange for NFL Network and other media assets owned by the league, including NFL RedZone and NFL Fantasy, the league announced Tuesday.
