St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was angry, and is still angry, about ESPN’s report about Michael Sam’s showering habits.
ESPN apologized Wednesday morning for the shower report Josina Anderson gave from Rams camp Tuesday that focused on the first openly gay player in the NFL, but Fisher remains upset about the story.
“I’m extremely disappointed in her piece,” Fisher told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. “I think it’s unethical. I think it’s very, very unprofessional. Not only the piece itself, the content. The manner in which she did it.”
Fisher, who has seen the report and the apology from the network, also received a phone call from John Wildhack, ESPN’s head of production and programming.
“We appreciate John Wildhack reaching out to us and apologizing, and their willingness to communicate and work through this with us,” Fisher said.
While Fisher appreciated the apology, he is still unhappy about the way Anderson got her information, reaching out to players when they weren’t at the Ram’s facility. Fisher went so far as to say that she “manufactured” the story.
“We have a media policy, and we’re very flexible,” Fisher said. “We have open practices. Players are available. We have open locker rooms. Obviously she came in, in all likelihood to see if there was gonna be a roster move at the 75 cutdown as it relates to Mike Sam. That didn’t happen. But she needed to do something, and it’s my understanding that she manufactured this story.
“She was out of line because she went and contacted several players on their personal time. Misled them with questions and then put this piece together.”
Photo via USA TODAY Sports Images/Rick Osentoski
