You don’t have to believe me, but I don’t love these, “I told you so,” posts. They’re tough to write without coming off like a prick. Even worse, I risk sounding like I’m actually pleased that my usually-pessimistic outlooks became reality. That’s not a good look for anyone. Trouble is, nobody else is going to come along and point out my greatest hits for me. So here we are, with me looking like a prick (again).
Today, the Raiders released LB Nick Roach. Read about it here, if you like. Roach’s story is a sad one, and I do not take pleasure in being right at the expense of his health. But this is the perfect time to discuss some of the shitty reporting in the NFL in regards to injuries, and I’m not going to pass that up. Roach suffered a concussion in an August 2014 preseason game, and hasn’t played a snap since.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Back in October, ESPN’s Adam Schefter, wrote this piece, saying that Roach was pretty much going to be fine. Read it for yourself. I called bullshit, and wrote this piece, saying I felt it was irresponsible for any reporter to look at Roach’s health and be so ridiculously optimistic. Obviously, Schefter was simply reporting what a source had told him… I get that. But I felt that this was a case where the story simply didn’t match the facts as we knew them. That was five months ago, and it looks like I was right to point out the hypocrisy there. I feel bad for Nick Roach. But I also refuse to wave the NFL pom-poms and believe that everyone will be alright just because that’s what an anonymous source told me.
