Just as the Oakland Raiders seem to be turning their season around, quarterback Derek Carr found himself embroiled in a “controversy”.
And yes, I specifically put the word controversy in quotations since so much of the problem with today’s debacle showcased an issue with today’s sports writing, which is “sources.”
“Sources”
Early yesterday, Miko Grimes, wife of NFL cornerback Brent Grimes, made some public statements that did not sit well, and justifiably so, with Carr and his teammates. Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo! Sports wrote earlier on this ridiculous debacle.
Grimes made a reckless claim on a nationally syndicated morning program, and the players she’s accusing are defending themselves against her story.
Appearing on “The Breakfast Club,” Grimes casually asserted that the Oakland Raiders offensive linemen allowed quarterback Derek Carr to get injured after a locker room fight in which Carr demanded that his teammates stand during the national anthem and not kneel.
It didn’t take long for Carr and Co. to take to Twitter to defend themselves against this ludicrous statement, even though the Raiders certainly took the high road by not getting into a spat with Grimes via social media. Carr’s Tweet afterward is a perfect example of this as he made his peace without addressing Grimes herself. Well done, Mr. Carr.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) November 7, 2017
Later in Young’s article, she explains that Grimes was getting her information from a source that’s on Twitter, @raiderbounty, and nevermind the follower count, but rather the fact that a person with zero credibility is given a national platform to spew such claims goes to show the flaws in sports media.
A writer (RaiderRamble.com’s own Scott Winter), who was inside the locker room on the day in question with a first-hand account of the team, saw nothing remotely close to what Grimes “claimed”. And yet, here we are discussing all this, quite simply, foolishness.
Sports journalists are by no means perfect but we all, for the most part at least, always to make sure to verify sources in some capacity. It’s no wonder sports journalism is sometimes seen as something that’s on life support when someone with zero credibility in the NFL gets a bigger platform than some of the most honest writers in the business.