Friday, September 21, 2012

Bart Scott nearly comes to blows with reporter in locker room

The strained relationship Bart Scott has with the media took a bizarre turn for the worst Friday.

The New York Jets linebacker reportedly was prepared to lay out New York Post reporter Dan Leberfeld after he angered Scott by taking a photo of him with his cell phone.

Right before the near-scuffle, Scott was reportedly talking to an ESPN reporter and Leberfeld took the snapshot to mockingly "document" the moment, according to Bart Hubbuch, who provided the nearly blow-by-blow account  via Twitter.

Scott then told Leberfeld "to get a life."  Tensions escalated and Scott threatened to punch Leberfeld, who responded by saying, "Yeah, I'll sue you!"

According to Hubbuch, Scott said, "I don't care," but Jets PR rep Bruce Speight stepped in and used two hands to restrain Scott while calling for help from other Jets staffers.



Scott has long feuded with the media, blaming it for the circus-like atmosphere that seems to follow the team around.  Scott holds reporters in such disdain, he declared a "media mutiny" after the Jets win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.  What he really meant to call it was a media boycott, but they got the point until this episode.

It sounds like this heated exchange was already a pot ready to boil over and, if Leberfeld was trying to get a rise out of Scott, he got it.

Leberfeld reportedly took a photo of Scott without a shirt Wednesday which got the surly linebacker yelling profanities at the reporter from across the locker room.  The next day media members complained that Scott blasted his music so loud they couldn't interview other players.

Looks like the circus is back in town.


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