Morning sports update: ESPN reporter responds to charge of network’s bias against Patriots
The Bruins lost to the Penguins in an overtime thriller on Sunday. Also, a Patriots-Titans playoff matchup became official after the Jaguars held off the Bills in the second AFC Wildcard game.
Here’s a look at a few stories from around New England sports:
ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham responded to accusations of network’s bias against Patriots: Following his recent story on the reported conflict within the Patriots organization, ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham was asked in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch about the perception that ESPN is bias against the Patriots:
ESPN publishes and broadcasts so many stories on the Patriots. I’ve written so many stories on the Patriots in my 17 years at ESPN The Magazine, on Brady and Belichick, both with and without access, and I’m proud of them all. The 2015 From Spygate to Deflategate piece that I co-authored with Don is still remembered bitterly by some, not all, Patriots fans, and so much of the “hit piece” nature of this past piece is falsely rooted in the false response to that one. All the stories are nuanced and complex and, in the end, about people. This year, I’ve written four stories on the Patriots. My feature on Belichick before the Super Bowl and my feature on Brady after the game didn’t elicit the charge that me or my company had a bias. Our Brady story in November and the Patriots one last week did. So it goes.
The Patriots beat out Google to hire a “genius”
: Sean Harrington grew up playing football in Massachusetts, both in high school and college. He also learned to create computer software, focusing on football-related projects.
The Patriots hired him to take the official role of “Senior Software Engineer,” beating out Google to get his services. Being that it’s the Patriots, no one is actually sure what Harrington’s full job responsibilities include. (MassLive)
Titan’s Mularkey is “onto New England” after job speculation: Titans’ coach Mike Mularkey, despite being a playoff coach, was reportedly in danger of being fired if his team lost its Wildcard clash with the Chiefs.
Despite being the lower seed, Tennessee pulled off a dramatic comeback, clinching a Divisional Round matchup with the Patriots. The result is that Mularkey’s job now appears to be safe from the potential of the Titans hiring New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. (Boston Herald)
A quick look at the Titans, the Patriots’ divisional round opponent: Now that the Patriots’ opponent is known to be the Titans, the scouting can begin in earnest. To that end, the Titans present a fascinating matchup.
The mercurial Marcus Mariota is just one component of a potential dangerous Tennessee team. (Boston.com)
Daily highlight: Stanford men’s basketball achieved one of the buzzer-beaters of the college season on Sunday, nailing a half-court three-pointer to defeat USC:
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/950233977322856450
