Said NFL Pressure Had ESPN Quit From Film Project

In 2004, the ESPN television drama “Playmakers” was inexplicably cancelled after only one season. The depiction of professional players in the series was less than flattering and apparently drew the ire of then NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue who voiced his complaints to Michael Eisner, then head of Disney. That hailed the end of the series.

It would appear that ESPN is again caught in a similar position with regards to a documentary about concussions, a problem that has been a thorn in the NFL’s side in recent years. ESPN has been working to invigorate its investigative reporting in recent years. The company had been working with “Frontline”, a current affairs program to produce a two part report on the subject.

A lunch meeting attended by Roger Goodell and some ESPN executives, purportedly became a venue for the NFL to voice its displeasure with ESPN’s coverage on the issue. The NFL denies influencing ESPN’s separation from “Frontline” but the split came barely a week after the reported lunch meeting. For its part, ESPN claims the split was due to the company not having editorial control over the project.

ESPN’s position is contentious because they depend on NFL content as well as journalism. The NFL has purportedly known that many players were suffering severe head trauma for years and have yet to adequately address it. This is not the first time ESPN has been accused of supporting the NFL’s agenda either.

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