Bruce Feldman, Craig James and Sacred Cows

To properly contextualize today’s astounding news ESPN was indefinitely suspending college football reporter Bruce Feldman, one must rewind to Dec. 2009. Above is broadcast analyst Craig James’ first statement after news of his son and Texas Tech wide receiver Adam James being sent to an equipment room during practice broke. The report coincided with the bowl season, so ESPN’s college football coverage was at full power, and the ensuing days’ coverage exposed a glaring dilemma for the Worldwide Leader: how is an issue involving a network member covered properly without it devolving into propaganda?

That line wasn’t straddled well. Actually, it wasn’t straddled at all, but crossed and left far in the rearview mirror. The spirited ESPN-bashing that is so en vogue across the internet isn’t really my thing. I have worked for and alongside ESPN employees and was always treated with courtesy and respect. There’s programming and individual personalities I don’t care for, but the same can be said of any network. Now, like any entity there comes a time that criticism is warranted. Now is such a time, and Dec. 2009 was such a time.

James proceeded to use ESPN airtime as his own personal pulpit to admonish Mike Leach, implicitly campaign for his ouster, even push his own political agenda. Such abuses of position far transcend subjective complaints about James’ in-game commentary, of which one only needs to search Twitter tag #firecraigjames for evidence.

Understanding the circumstances surrounding the days leading up to Leach’s firing puts a whole new light on Feldman’s suspension. ESPN has had a seemingly case-by-case policy on its personalities attacking one another. Tony Kornheiser’s poor jokes about Hannah Storm were met with suspension, but Bill Simmons and Colin Cowherd have taken shots at each other without much backlash. Were Feldman taking his own personal potshots at James’ unprofessional (my words, not Feldman’s) behavior, there’s precedent for his punishment. Feldman was only doing his job, being a journalist.

And he’s one of the best. “Meat Market” is required reading for any college football fan to provide some grounding vis a vis the sport’s seamier side. Feldman is a news breaker, and was just breaking news in a different avenue — an avenue approved by ESPN brass.

Going back to Dec. 2009, Leach never had the public platform from which to shout his case like James had. A story has two sides, and James certainly made his known. So why not Leach? And furthermore, why can Feldman not be the one to relay it? In the video above, James makes his statement via Steve Levy. Feldman’s position in the book is no different from Levy’s on Sportscenter.

The question becomes, what makes James such a sacred cow? Any organization has a hierarchy wherein certain employees receive more deferential treatment. But why James, and why allow him to so brazenly flout broadcasting decorum a year-and-a-half ago to go on the offensive? And why now, suspending a well respected and impressively credentialed journalist?

These are questions that deserve answers.

Tags: Bruce Feldman, Craig James, ESPN, Mike Leach, Texas Tech