If Joey Votto doesn’t have to like his teammates at the All-Star Game, why should ESPN reporters have to play nice with their co-workers? According to some nifty reporting done by The Big Lead, they don’t. While Rachel Nichols and Jeremy Schaap are denying there was ever any type of friction between them, sources have told The Big Lead that Nichols tried to steal a Plaxico Burress interview from Schaap in August of 2009.
According to the report, Nichols was sending text messages to Burress when he sat down for an interview with Schaap to talk about his unlicensed gun case. Burress allegedly showed Schaap the texts and went on to conduct the interview. Sources say Schaap even told an ESPN news editor what had happened, although based on his comments today through ESPN PR he’d certainly deny that. Here’s what ESPN’s PR department had to say about the alleged incident:
It is common for multiple reporters to pursue sought-after interviews and we are comfortable with our reporters approach in this instance.”
While it doesn’t appear Nichols and Schaap want the public to believe the incident occurred, that’s not exactly a denial from ESPN. Then again, seeking out an interview with someone and texting that person while they sit down for an interview with a co-worker are two completely different things. My guess is the latter would be frowned upon. I’m sure they’ll find a way to sweep the whole thing under the rug, but all you ESPN haters out there can thank The Big Lead for giving you some ammunition.
Source:
Alleged Tales From the Trenches: Jeremy Schaap vs. Rachel Nichols For Plaxico Burress [The Big Lead]
