Following Josina Anderson’s odd report on the showering habits of St. Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam (as of Saturday morning, Sam remained on the roster, vying for a 53-man spot), just about everyone gave their take on the situation, including an apology from Anderson’s employer.
Anderson has been quiet since Tuesday’s debacle until she released a statement through ESPN’s PR website on Friday evening. For one, the timing is interesting because Friday afternoons/evenings are notoriously infamous for unfavorable news stories. And two, it doesn’t appear to be much of an apology but instead a statement of awareness.
I wanted to take this opportunity to say I understand the vast and varying perspectives regarding our Michael Sam report. I’m particularly sensitive to those who feel the content therein worked to perpetuate stereotypes surrounding the LGBT community, or was just overall insensitive. In all humility, I truly understand these viewpoints and have taken time to reflect on how our story had this unintended consequence. To Michael Sam, I truly empathize with and respect your journey thus far on many different levels. Ultimately, I’ve always believed making a professional sports roster should and will come down to production.
In my role as reporter, it’s also important for me to emphasize that I highly value accuracy and in this case gathered facts using well-accepted journalistic standards. I can also appreciate that there are always lessons to be gained in any situation regardless of experience or tenure.
As I move on, I look forward to leading off ESPN’s regular-season NFL coverage next week and I appreciate their continued support.
Respectfully and with well-intentions,
Josina Anderson
[Awful Announcing via ESPN]
