The NFL’s emails featuring New York Times writer Ken Belson and Jemele Hill. Plus, Grant Wahl on soccer writing as a profession

Episode 164 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. First up is New York Times writer Ken Belson, who covers the NFL for that media outlet. Belson joined with Katherine Rosman to report on the 650,000 emails the NFL is reported to be looking at regarding the workplace conduct with the Washington Football Team. He is followed by Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, the host of the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast for Spotify, and a creative adviser for Meadowlark Media. She is followed by Grant Wahl, who writes the Futbol with Grant Wahl newsletter and works with CBS Sports and Meadowlark Media.

In this podcast Belson discusses the challenges of covering the NFL; when he started working on stories about the review of workplace misconduct at the Washington Football Team; why readers should care about this story; his access to emails from Jon Gruden; whether the NYT is actively trying to get more of these emails; league attorney Jeff Pash’s role in the story; the nearly naked photos of former Washington cheerleaders being passed around; whether the Raiders would have released Gruden without the later batch of emails; whether there are emails he has seen that he has yet to write about it; Adam Schefter and his email to Bruce Allen and much more. 

Hill discusses how she viewed the NFL email story; her column on the NFL being full of Jon Grudens; whether ESPN has any incentive to cover the story aggressively; Gruden as ESPN’s longtime lead NFL analyst; the revelations about Adam Schefter’s email to Bruce Allen and much more. Wahl discusses his decision to start a Substack and what readers can expect from his work; how he pays for travel and an editor; whether he has experienced any access issues since leaving SI;  Meg Linehan’s reporting on the NWSL; the prospects of the U.S. and Canada making the men’s World Cup in 2022 and more.  

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