One of the major subplots in the ESPN-NFL equity deal is how the WorldWide Leader in Sports will now cover the league that has a 10% equity stake in the network.<\/p>\n
ESPN has always had to walk the tightrope between its journalistic best practices and its business best practices. In recent years, there has been the perception that ESPN has moved more and more towards entertainment and deemphasized seeking truth on the journalism side. The promotion of the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee<\/a> and the cancellation of Outside the Lines<\/a> are just two examples.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just a recent phenomenon, though. It\u2019s a delicate dance that goes back years all the way through the scripted drama Playmakers, that lasted one season thanks largely to the influence of the NFL<\/a>, and ESPN backing out of the powerful\u00a0League of Denial\u00a0PBS special on NFL concussions<\/a>. Then there was the lawsuit filed from former NFL media reporter Jim Trotter regarding his concerns working for the league<\/a>, specifically around asking a question to Roger Goodell about the league\u2019s lack of diversity. That lawsuit was eventually settled<\/a>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nobody in sports that can play the influence game quite like the NFL, and now that they own 10% of ESPN, skepticism about the network\u2019s ability to cover the league fairly is freely being expressed from the likes of David Samson<\/a> and former SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s those latter comments from Patrick that caught the eye of one of ESPN\u2019s current top reporters, Don Van Natta Jr.<\/p>\n Van Natta is one of many straight-laced journalists that ESPN still employs. And he along with Kalyn Kahler have been on top of a burgeoning scandal surrounding the NFLPA and former executive director Lloyd Howell.<\/p>\n In a post on social media, Van Natta responded to critical comments from Patrick, saying that ESPN was already in bed with the NFL given their longstanding rights relationship and insinuated they are already looking the other way when it comes to negative stories about the league.<\/p>\n \u201cThe journalist in me \u2026 would point out the conflict of interest,\u201d\u00a0Patrick said Wednesday on his radio show<\/a>. \u201cBut ESPN can\u2019t be any further in bed with the NFL when it comes to their coverage. Are they going to look the other way with whatever negative story comes up? They\u2019ve probably already done that.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Natta did not hold back in addressing Patrick.<\/p>\n \u201cThe journalist in me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how deep ESPN went on the mess at the NFLPA. I know Florio did, a couple of people did\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Imagine saying \u201cthe journalist in me\u201d and then failing Journalism 101:https:\/\/t.co\/aFBs5TEJTq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) August 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cDan, @kalynkahler and I did a run of exclusive reporting on the NFLPA story that led directly to Lloyd Howell\u2019s resignation: A confidentiality agreement, the Carlyle Group, strip club receipts. Do your homework before you malign your ex-colleagues. I\u2019m embarrassed for you,\u201d he said. \u201cImagine saying \u2018the journalist in me\u2019 and then failing Journalism 101,\u201d he added in another reply.<\/p>\n When replying to those on social media who pointed out that his reporting was about the NFLPA and not the league, Van Natta defended his body of work at ESPN.<\/p>\n I am not going to tick off the dozens of investigative stories I have done about the NFL since joining ESPN in 2012. Look them up.<\/p>\n \u2014 Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) August 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Don Van Natta Jr. is one of the most accomplished reporters in print journalism. He is a multiple time Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author that has worked at ESPN since 2012. Before that, he was an investigative journalist at the New York Times\u00a0and\u00a0Miami Herald. You can understand why he would take Patrick\u2019s comments personally given he and Kahler have relentlessly covered the NFLPA meltdown this month<\/a> along with Pablo Torre and Mike Florio.<\/p>\n The ESPN-NFL relationship is tighter than ever before as the two companies are now fully intertwined. Observers and watchdogs will no doubt be looking for examples of where ESPN may show favorable treatment to the NFL in the weeks, months, and years ahead. And it won\u2019t be just about what ESPN does cover, it\u2019s about what they won\u2019t cover as well.<\/p>\n The perception will persist that ESPN and the NFL are one and the same. With the equity deal now announced, that will be unavoidable moving forward. Ultimately, it will be up to the journalists at ESPN like Don Van Natta Jr. to continue to prove skeptics like Dan Patrick wrong in their dedicated coverage towards the NFL.<\/p>\n \t\n
\n