Yankees' media conduct video uses Russell Wilson and Cam Newton as 'right and wrong' way to handle press: Report

The New York Yankees are taking dealing with the press seriously this spring training. And, in an effort to prepare players to meet with reporters, the team’s media training staff is using NFL players and other public examples of how to act and how not to act after a disappointing loss.

Last week the team kicked off the first session of media training that the Yankees do every year for their players, a several-day program filled with demonstrations, guest speakers, and two 15-minute videos comprised of clips from athletes interacting with the media past and present.

According to ESPN, one video this year featured NFL quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. The video, shown to pitchers and catchers, compared the way Newton handled his team’s Super Bowl loss this year with the way Wilson dealt with his team’s defeat last year.

Newton received widespread criticism after Super Bowl 50, not because his less-than-stellar performance but because he moped at the podium before abruptly storming out of the post-game press conference.

Wilson, by contrast, answered every reporter’s question and took the blame for his team’s loss to the Patriots in February 2015.

It's no surprise Yankees icon — and poster boy for media savvy — Derek Jeter is featured in one video right after a section called "Everything is Fair Game," and says that players have to take the approach that everyone is watching you at all times, on and off the field.

But it is some of the other examples in the "wrong way" category that have people scratching their heads including one clip of ESPN reporter Britt McHenry — who was caught on camera last April unleashing a rant at an employee of a car towing company.

McHenry mocked the teeth of the employee behind the counter and told the person to, among other things, "lose some weight, baby girl."

And, strangely, they included actor Charlie Sheen's dopey tirade five years ago on ABC, calling some people "droopy-armed children."

According to NJ Advance Media, who sat down with Yankees' public relations director Jason Zillo for an exclusive look at the pair of videos and learn some of the ins and outs of how the Yankees train and handle their players' interactions with the media.

General manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi—the driving forces behind the media training, Zillo said—appear on the videos multiple times along with former players Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte, plus current Yanks Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran, among others.

Some of the most interesting parts of the videos were recent clips from athletes, showcasing both good and bad post-game interviews, according to NJ.com.

And even New Jersey's beloved Lawrence Taylor gets kicked to the bad side.

Good:

— Russell Wilson's admission that he threw a bad pass in the Super Bowl a year ago that lost the Seattle Seahawks the game.

— Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy last fall owning up to the ground ball that went under his glove in the World Series.

— Washington Wizards guard John Wall tearing up in a post-game interview not long after a young friend passed away.

— Pettitte's press conference admitting to HGH use.

— Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh taking blame last month after missing a chip-shot kick to win a playoff game.

— Ron Washington owning up to cocaine use several years ago while with the Texas Rangers.

Bad:

— Cam Newton barely answering questionsto reporters after the Carolina Panthers loss to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl three weeks ago.

— Ex-Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor aggressively confronting a reporter on the field.

— Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Greg Hardy's "no comment, next question" interview with reporters last fall.

— Former big leaguer Pete Rose lying about betting on baseball.

Says Cashman in the video: After games reporters are going to go into a clubhouse looking to talk about what went wrong. Take responsibility, he says.

Even one-time pariah Alex Rodriguez is used in a clip. And if the Yankees and press are loving A-Rod as much as everyone is reporting this spring, those tapes must be working.

Sage Steele shuts down NBA Celebrity All-Star MVP when he starts spouting off about politics (VIDEO)

Using a solid mic pull and a subtle shoulder check, ESPN reporter Sage Steele shut down Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler, after the singer tried to get political during an interview after the NBA Celebrity All-Star game in Toronto on Friday night.

Butler was named the Most Valuable Player and during the post-game interview with Steele, the 6-foot-4 Canadian resident chose to inject some politics during the live-TV exchange — however the feisty reporter was not having any of it.

"I just wanted to say, it's an election year in the US, the US has a lot it can learn from Canada, (such as) health care, taking caring of people," Butler began preaching after his 15 point, 14 rebound game.

However, in keeping with ESPN's "Stick to Sports" agenda during interviews,  Steele quickly pulled away the microphone and took back the spotlight, using her slender shoulder to push away the Canuck. 

"We're talking about celebrity stuff, not politics," said Steele as she pulled the mic away. "Congratulations on your MVP."

Win Butler and Sage Steele. Kevin Hart in the background tho https://t.co/7Gu5B02Ahz

— Basketball Forever® (@Bballforeverfb) February 13, 2016

The 35-year-old Butler started the interview at the Ricoh Coliseum by by thanking his hometown. The singer was born and raised in Texas but moved to Montreal in 2000 to attend McGill University. He still lives in Montreal, which is where he started Arcade Fire.

"I've lived in the great city of Montreal for 15 years," Butler said. 

"I've represented Montreal. If you guys want to fast-track my Canadian citizenship, hopefully this will help make me a permanent resident. 

"I just want to say that I'm retiring as a celebrity right now, so I will not be eligible for the celebrity game next year.

"I'm retiring as a celebrity. We brought this home for Canada. 

"Respect to Drake. Respect to Team Canada."

Oh Canada. Stick to hockey, eh?

Brent Musburger suggests Mormons start drinking during Las Vegas Bowl blowout (VIDEO)

The first quarter of Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl looked pretty bleak for BYU fans. Their team was already down 35-zip in the first eight minutes of the Holy War game against Utah when ESPN analyst Brent Musburger dropped this broadcasting tidbit.

“I really feel sorry for my Mormon friends at BYU," Musburger said with great sincerity. “They don’t drink! This game would drive you to it.”

The Cougars rallied to get within seven points, but I'm betting the beer vendor didn't see a run on brewskis in the meantime.

Stephen A. Smith goes all Tony Soprano on Kevin Durant (VIDEO)

When Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant strongly denied a Stephen A. Smith report that he was considering a move to the Los Angeles Lakers, tensions between the two heated up over the weekend. And Smith fired back on Monday morning, telling Durant “you don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”

In a somewhat fascinating segment on ESPN First Take, Smith hijacked the desk from co-host Skip Bayless and told Durant, “You don’t want to make an enemy out of me. And I am looking right at the camera.”

pic.twitter.com/nllOb5G5Fq

— Paid Wade (@Joshmaniii) October 5, 2015

While it seemed more like a Sopranos audition tape than sports journalism, this sort of behavior has become sort of the norm for Smith — who tweeted he would he would continue later:

I will respond to @KDTrey5 on @FirstTake right now!!! Then later too, on my radio show. Like I've said repeatedly, I HIDE FROM NO-DAMN-BODY!

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 5, 2015

Durant responded to Smith's original story at the time: “I don’t talk to Stephen A Smith at all. Nobody in my family, my friends, they don’t talk to Stephen A Smith. So he’s lying.”

Smith specified that he never spoke to any of those people in Durant's circle.

But the habit of sports reporters becoming part of the story is getting tiresome. Although Smith did make a point to say that if he was lying in his initial report about Durant going to the Lakers, Durant should sign a long-term deal with Oklahoma City to prove him wrong, his street corner threat doesn't cut it.

Whether or not it is appropriate for journalists and professional athletes to battle in public is one thing, but Smith is in no position to tell Durant what to do with his life in order to prove a point.

Here's Smith's full rant:

ABC cuts to ESPN anchors on iPads during Dabo Swinney interview after Clemson beat Notre Dame (VIDEO)

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was mixed up in a wild scene during postgame interview after his No. 12 Clemson held on in the pouring rain to beat No. 6 Notre Dame, 24-22 Saturday night.

Boasting about his team and dropping tidbits such as “BYOG,” which Swinney said stood for “bring your own guts,” the coach's passionate interview was cut short when the studio suddenly cut to the SportsCenter studio which awkwardly showed its two anchors quietly scrolling through their iPads as they prepared for the upcoming show — unaware they were live on air.

Here's the hilarious moment on video when viewers' television screens went from wet madness to library quiet in an instant:

All that was missing was the Jeopardy theme song.

But conspiracy theorists claim the jump wasn't so accidental and maybe Swinney's language got a little too salty for network TV or, mercy, he mentioned God.

Deadspin uncovered the missing footage and it was nothing more than Swinney simply answering a question about what he told his team at a specific point in the game.

ESPN senior director of PR, Kerri Potts, later clarified the technical difficulty in a tweet. 

"As a result of an error in TV transmission, we inadvertently missed 12 seconds of Dabo Swinney's postgame interview," Potts tweeted.  "We apologize."

Judge dismisses sleeping Yankees fan's $10M defamation lawsuit against ESPN (VIDEO)

A New York City judge has ruled that the Yankees fan who was caught on camera nodding off during a game last spring, while ESPN announcers commented about his slumber, has no legal basis for filing a $10 million lawsuit against the network for poking fun at his impromptu baseball bedtime.

Andrew Rector, a used car salesman from the Bronx, was caught sleeping in his seat by a camera during a game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in April last year.

The drowsy fan later made national headlines by suing MLB Advanced Media, the Yankees, ESPN and announcing team Dan Schulman and Jon Kruk for $10 million after they made fun of his unusual place for nap time. He even appeared with Matt Lauer on Today and said, "I have a reputation too."

However, the defamation lawsuit was dismissed by Bronx judge Julia Rodriguez late last month after she found that he did not have grounds to sue.

Rector, who was greeted by a round of applause from the stadium crowd when he woke up, said he suffered "mental anguish" because of the ordeal.

He alleged in his suit that the broadcasters published statements against him that allegedly called him a "fatty cow," "stupid," "socially bankrupt" and a "symbol of failure."

Although Schulman and Kruk said none of those words.

ESPN catches heat for televising fan's sexist sign on GameDay

Seeing outrageous and sometimes tasteless signs during ESPN College GameDay is nothing new —  but usually most the comments are directed at the opposing players or teams.

But before the Mississippi-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa Saturday, a Crimson Tide fan held up a sign outside Bryant-Denny Stadium stating “Ole Miss Girls Are Easier Than Their Out-Of-Conference Schedule.”

While offensive signs have been known to slip by GameDay censors, it’s rare for them to be promoted the way this one was. ESPN not only broadcast it on air, but also featured it in a tweet from the @CollegeGameDay account:

Just no chill. pic.twitter.com/Hn0fWwL9gF

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 19, 2015

And, even with a group of smiling coeds standing around the young man's sign, the sexist message didn't sit well with just about everyone else.

To be fair, when the sign was shown on-air, host Rece Davis and analyst Kirk Herbstreit condemned it, with Davis saying “I can’t condone that type of behavior” and Herbstreit adding “That is unacceptable.”

However, ESPN still made the decision to show it, and ESPN spokesperson Keri Potts told CNN they wouldn’t be deleting the tweet promoting it either, saying “Our Twitter handle looks to bring the sights and sounds of the College GameDay experience to the viewer at home and reflect how the fans on site express themselves.”

But that didn't stop the Twitter backlash that was about to ensue:

@CollegeGameDay Utterly classless and embarrassing to feature this sign. What does this say about your brand? Integrity? Views on women?

— Emily Wright (@EmilyCello) September 19, 2015

ESPN's somewhat misconstrued attempt to disassociate themselves from the sexist sign does not excuse them from the controversy. The network has editorial control on what signs are allowed near their set, what signs they show on air, and especially on what signs they elect to tweet out. They didn’t make this sign, but they did promote it and left it up for everyone to see.

The Boy's Club still rules.

Wife of Redskins GM apologizes for 'BJ' tweet about ESPN reporter: Report

The wife of Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan has apologized for "disparaging" and "unfounded" comments on her Twitter account about an ESPN reporter.

The Redskins also issued a statement on behalf of Jessica McCloughan on Wednesday night in which she acknowledged making the remarks, which said the reporter exchanged sexual favors for information.

After initially insisting that a controversial tweet apparently sent by Jessica McCloughan had come from a fake account, the Redskins organization now admits that she indeed post the nasty tweet.

Jessica McCloughan's statement begins: "I deeply apologize for the disparaging remarks about an ESPN reporter on my personal Twitter account. The comment was unfounded and inappropriate, and I have the utmost respect for both the reporter and ESPN."

That apology never mentioned Dianna Russini by name. But a statement issued by ESPN said, in part: "Dianna is an excellent reporter who should never have to be subjected to such vulgar comments."

Scot McCloughan is entering his first season as Washington's GM.

Sarah Palin defends Curt Schilling, rips ESPN on Facebook

Sarah Palin had some harsh words for ESPN on Thursday night, calling the network "whimpering" and "intolerant" for suspending baseball analyst Curt Schilling for a tweet comparing radical Muslims to Nazis.

In a blistering Facebook post titled "ESPN IS A JOURNALISTIC EMBARRASSMENT," the former governor of Alaska and Republican vice president candidate accused ESPN of buying into terrorist propaganda and advancing "liberal global politics."

Palin's post tore into the sports network. In it she wrote:

"ESPN what happened to you? Your intolerant PC police are running amok and making a joke out of you! By picking and choosing who they'll tolerate and who they'll try to destroy, ESPN has zero credibility as a sound and reasonable media outlet."

Schilling was removed from ESPN’s Little League World Series and Sunday Night Baseball coverage earlier this week after tweeting out a meme that read: "Only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists. In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?"

Palin wasn't done there. She accused ESPN of using her name and reputation to spew "crude, rude bile" and said the network’s on-air talent condoned misogyny and violence against women.

"One ESPN affiliate's on-air rant featuring their misogynist, animalistic "analysts" grunting and giggling through an entire x-rated celebration of violence against women didn't even draw a chirp from ESPN's wussified leaders," Palin wrote. "Look it up; I don't want to have to recount it."

Palin was referring to a September 2011 interview on ESPN radio affiliate KWWM, based out of Las Vegas, in which famed boxer Mike Tyson made crude and offensive remarks about a reported relationship between Palin and former NBA star Glen Rice.

Palin went on to defend Schilling's tweet, saying there was nothing wrong with it except that the numbers were off.

"Reports show it's 88% of Egyptian Muslims favoring DEATH for anyone who leaves Islam," she wrote. “The majority of Muslims in many other places share the sentiment. In America, these views could be correctly described as ‘extreme.’

“The difference between Hitler’s army and the genocidal maniacs of ISIS is that the jihadists don’t have as much power… yet.”

She closed her argument by accusing ESPN of buying into the propaganda of ISIS and other terror organizations because they denied the accuracy of Schilling's tweet and would rather concentrate on liberal global politics instead of sports.

Palin wrote, "Two -- Schilling -- was he wrong? No! In fact his stats were too generous is estimating Muslim's attitudes."

Schilling did delete the tweet and apologized for it.

IK Enemkpali once punched a ‘man he thought was a woman’: Report

Two weeks after Ikemefuna Enemkpali was released by the New York Jets for punching out  his then-quarterback Geno Smith in a locker room incident, the outside linebacker's fists are in the news again — this time because of a catfishing incident first reported by ESPN.

According to an "Outside the Lines" report, Enemkpali missed Louisiana Tech's season opener in 2011 because he had injured his hand after punching "a man he thought was a woman with whom he had arranged to have sex."

ESPN cited an obtained copy of a police report which said Enemkpali began exchanging Facebook messages with a "Missy Lee" on Sept. 1, 2011. But after meeting "Missy Lee" in person, he realized the individual — who had been "covered head-to-toe in a blanket" — also had "facial hair."

According to ESPN, the police report states that Enemkpali "felt that he was being 'set up' for a robbery of some type. Enemkpali stated that fearing for his safety, he then struck the subject in the blanket. Enemkpali stated that after he struck this person, their voice changed to that of a male. Enemkpali stated that he then left the residence through the window."

He also reportedly told police that he began receiving texts in which "Missy Lee" accused him of "punching her and knocking out her teeth" and also threatened "U are going to jail." Enemkpali reportedly offered $500, but "'Missy Lee' demanded $1,000 or the police would be called."

Police later traced the phone number to a man named Ketryn Anderson, who, according to his Facebook page, is a "senior pastor and founder of Life Community Church" in Shreveport, Louisiana,  according to ESPN.

Enemkpali off-the-field issues kept NFL teams away during the 2014 draft process and, before the start of the 2011 season, he reportedly was suspended after he hit an off-duty officer. He was charged with disturbing the peace and battery of a police officer, but was reinstated by the team and played in the 2011 season.

The Jets still decided to take a gamble and former Jets general manager John Idzik drafted the Louisiana Tech product in the sixth round.

After Smith suffered a broken jaw in the altercation with Enemkpali,  the 24-year-old linebacker was claimed off waivers by former Jets coach Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday that "the matter remains under review."

ESPN removes Curt Schilling from LLWS broadcast for 'unacceptable' tweet comparing Muslims to Adolf Hitler

In another controversial statement in a career filled with controversy, Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher and current ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst, paid the price for posting a tweet Tuesday comparing Muslims with Adolf Hitler.

And as of Tuesday afternoon, the former Red Sox starter and current ESPN analyst will no longer appear on the network’s Little League World Series broadcasts after Schilling earlier shared a meme on Twitter attempting to equate the percentage of Muslims who are extremists to the percentage of Germans in 1940 who were Nazis.

Schilling tweeted a photo of Adolf Hitler, with the text: "It is said that only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists ... In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?"

Above the photo, Schilling wrote on his account @gehrig9: "The math is staggering when you get to true #s").

“Curt’s tweet was completely unacceptable, and in no way represents our company’s perspective,” ESPN said in a statement. “We made that point very strongly to Curt and have removed him from his current Little League assignment pending further consideration.”

Schilling has since deleted his original tweet and apologized for it on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

Key & Peele imagine if teachers were treated like pro athletes on 'SportsCenter' (VIDEO)

Nobody spoofs professional sports like "Key & Peele." And Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are at it again in a skit that imagines teachers being treated as pro athletes on a show like ESPN's "SportsCenter."

In the clip below, the two sketch comics report on “the latest developments in the exciting world of pro teaching” on the show “TeachingCenter.”

It include hilarious — and perceptive — segments that feature a behind-the-scenes looks at the fictional High School Teacher Draft, a Telestrator breakdown of a teacher at work and some really inflated teachers' paychecks.



Sadly, after five seasons together on Comedy Central, the comedic duo will end their show on the network. Peele tweeted last weekend, "Don't miss the last 8 episodes!" in reference to the ending of the current season.

We'll just have to wait for the full length movies.

Angels rained out for 1st time since '95, forcing doubleheader

The torrential storm which dumped buckets of rain on Southern California Sunday, forced the postponement of what was to have been an ESPN-televised game between the Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

The teams waited for nearly 2½ hours before the game was finally called.

The rainout was the 11th in the 49-year history of Angel Stadium and the first since June 16, 1995, when the Angels were washed out of a game against the Chicago White Sox. The Angels had played 1,609 consecutive home games without being rained out.

The team's Twitter account attempted to put that fact into a fun context:

FUN FACT - The last time we had a home rainout, @MikeTrout was 3 years old...Legend has it, he hit for the cycle in a t-ball game that day

— Angels (@Angels) July 20, 2015

And while the ground crew got a chance to stretch their tarp-pulling muscles for the first time in a while, the stadium itself didn't seem up to the task.

"Unfortunately, you never really know how your drainage system works until you get enough water, and there's so much standing water in that outfield that just has nowhere to go," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's going to be like that all night tonight, probably tomorrow morning. The rain is predicted to stop shortly, but the field was unplayable, with no way to remedy that.

"Was there a clog? I'm not a landscaper, but I don't think it's ever been tested like this. It's a lot of rain. Don't think anything is clogged. It's just saturated."

The grounds crew and other field personnel tried to squeegee the outfield during the rain delay, but the effort proved futile.

But upbeat Los Angeleans saw a silver lining in the postponement. Besides bringing water to the drought-stricken area, they get to see two games on the same day.

The teams are scheduled to play a day-night doubleheader Monday, the first doubleheader to be played at Angel Stadium due to a rainout since Aug. 5, 1988.

James Harrison rips ESPN's Adam Schefter for posting Jason Pierre-Paul’s medical report

The status of Jason Pierre Paul’s condition after a Fourth of July fireworks accident left everyone — including the New York Giants — wondering how serious his hand injury was.

That was until ESPN obtained a copy of the defensive end's medical report and Adam Schefter posted Pierre-Paul’s medical record confirming that the defensive end had his right index finger amputated.

And the ESPN reporter not only wrote about it, he posted JPP's actual medical record on Twitter for the world to see.

ESPN obtained medical charts that show Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had right index finger amputated today. pic.twitter.com/VI5cbS1uCw

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 8, 2015

There was some dismay from the media and other NFL players after Schefter's post and Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker James Harrision was one of those who was angriest.

.@AdamSchefter You're a real piece of sh*t for putting that picture up!

— James Harrison (@jharrison9292) July 9, 2015

I'm going on a hunch here but I'm pretty sure that those medical docs obtain by ESPN are a violation of some sort. Not the smartest but...

— Justin Tuck (@JustinTuck) July 9, 2015

The real questions here are who the source was — which might be hard to find out — and the legality of handing out copies of personal medical records. And, now that it's out there, questions about doctor/patient confidentiality and the media are something the players have put in play.

If a medical provider leaked JPP medical information, that's a big HIPAA violation. Media like @AdamSchefter are not subject to those laws.

— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) July 9, 2015

Sounds like this has opened an important legal issue for the player's union.

Odell Beckham Jr. breaks world record with 33 one-handed catches in a minute (VIDEO)

Odell Beckham Jr. has been one pretty busy NFL player during this year's Super Bowl week. In between destroying kids in dodgeball and whipping it on the runway, ODB added a Guinness World Record to his resume.

Beckham's one-handed catches were an NFL sensation this season and, with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throwing to him from 10 yards away, the Giants receiver obliterated the previous record of 10 one-handed catches in a minute, as he grabbed 33 in front of a crowd with the ESPN cameras rolling.

What can't this guy do and who even knew there was such a record?

Mark Jackson gets standing ovation in return to Oakland (VIDEO)

Mark Jackson returned to Oracle Arena for the first time since the Warriors beat the Clippers to force Game 7 in their first round series last spring. And the former Warriors coach — who was fired soon after on May 6 — had no idea how the crowd would react to seeing him back on the sidelines — albeit, this time as a broadcaster.

To Jackson's surprise, the moment his face appeared on the video board, both he home crowd and players erupted into cheers and gave him a standing ovation.

The Warriors' players, led by Stephen Curry gave a heartfelt welcome back. Even CEO Joe Lacob got out of his seat to applaud.

The anticipation for the game against the Cavaliers had been building all day for Jackson —  now a highly regarded color commentator for ESPN who still is being paid by the Warriors — and he was hoping LeBron James would steal the spotlight.

When James backed out of the game with an injury, the night belonged solely to Jackson.

Mark Jackson got a standing O in his return to Oakland, which felt a little odd. http://t.co/zWPkmg5xEl https://t.co/HRDlxVVCOY
— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) January 10, 2015

"Incredible blessing," Jackson said on the national telecast of the game. "I'm humbled by the support of the fans and the reaction. Three years ago, this was a team that had a history of losing. To think right now to be a legitimate team to win it all, I'm extremely proud."

Stephen Curry leads the Oakland crowd in a standing ovation for former coach Mark Jackson! pic.twitter.com/XsvKt5N7zX
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) January 10, 2015

"You cannot direspect the caterpillar and rave about the butterfly." Mark Jackson
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 10, 2015

Kinky Friedman calls Chris Christie's 'bromance' with Jerry Jones 'homosexual' on ESPN2 (VIDEO)

Texas humorist and country singer Kinky Friedman appeared live on ESPN's "Outside The Lines" Wednesday to comment on the budding friendship between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

But in an awkward moment that caught host Bob Ley off guard,  Friedman said the pair's "bromance" was much more than friendly and called it "the most important, latent homosexual relationship since Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson."

Friedman reluctantly smoothed over his words after Ley asked him if he really meant it.

Apparently Friedman, a former Texas gubernatorial candidate, wasn't finished. According to CNN, he later called Christie, who claims he's a longtime Cowboys fan, an "anti-Texas, thin-sock wearing son of a b----." That's when Ley cut him off and apologized for Friedman's remarks.

The governor and Jones hung out together in the Cowboys owners' box during Sunday's wild card victory over the Detroit Lions. It wasn't the first time they paired up to watch a game but, the sight of the traitor hugging Jones created a social media blitz by Giants and Eagles fans in New Jersey.

And it seems Friedman has his own take on it.

I'm thinking OTL would like a do over booking Kinky Friedman. It's not the Imus Show. Disney folks have to be squirming.
— Joe Casale (@sportsJC16) January 7, 2015

ESPN announcers crack up at Virginia fan singing to plastic goose (VIDEO)

A lot of strange things happen before, during and after ESPN college football games (i.e. Lee Corso comes to mind) but this Virginia football fan even had the network's experienced announcers at a loss for words Saturday.

Cameras caught a young man singing along to Journey's Don't Stop Believin' holding a very large plastic goose during the Cavaliers' 30-13 win over Miami and, before you could say Aflac, the usually verbose ESPN broadcasters were rolling in the booth — speechless.

But when the fan starts singing into the bird's beak, it sends them into hysterics:

I guess, "Nothing says college like singing Journey while holding onto a goose," does describe this scene pretty well.

Or maybe Steve Perry he ain't.

Hannah Storm gives tearful monologue on state of NFL at close of Sportscenter (VIDEO)

Hannah Storm provided a powerful, impassioned and personal message at the close of Sunday morning’s Sportscenter, scolding the NFL and how they’ve handled this week’s series of violent incidents. 

She raised a lot of great questions to fans and to those at the NFL, including what does zero tolerance even mean in light of what we’ve seen now and in past episodes of criminality.

Storm told the audience how her Monday morning was ruined with the release of the Ray Rice video, and all the drama that followed. 

Through tears, Storm tells how she couldn't explain the situation to her young daughter.

And finally, before sending the show to NFL Countdown, she asks, "What exactly does the NFL stand for?" 

The segment speaks for itself:

ESPN suspends Max Kellerman over domestic abuse remarks: Report

ESPN has reportedly suspended boxing commentator and radio host Max Kellerman from the network following a conversation he had on ESPN-LA Radio, reports the New York Daily News.

On the "Mason & Ireland " show, which leads into his afternoon-drive program, Kellerman admitted to hitting his girlfriend many years ago.

ESPN would neither confirm nor deny Kellerman's suspension. In a statement issued Friday afternoon and ESPN spokesman said: "Max Kellerman will return to ESPN-LA Radio and 'SportsNation' on Thursday." 

The startling admission occurred as Kellerman related a story about his then-girlfriend, now wife Erin Kellerman.

According the the Daily News, he said that the pair were at a college party and both had too much to drink.

The situation escalated and his girlfriend hit him. He hit her back, he said, but the incident was a one-time incident and they have been happily married for 20 years.

Kellerman's admission of having hit a woman was reportedly called "inappropriate" by ESPN and his suspension comes just days after Stephen A. Smith was suspended for comments he made while discussing the Ray Rice domestic abuse case during the "First Take" morning show.. 

According to the Daily News, the reason for Kellerman's suspension is for discussing the Rice situation, which is extremely touchy subject after Smith's recent boondoggle.

Smith condemned domestic violence but advised women not to "provoke" men to it.

"Let's make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions," he said, presumably to his female viewers.

Smith later apologized.