Some news organizations are questioning Lackey's character for divorcing a woman who is battling breast cancer. Although a bit harsh, this detail is something that people want to know, and it can be justified.
What can not be justified, however, are the actions of one mystery reporter who completely crossed the line in a professional media/athlete relationship.
"Let me tell you the truth. Thirty minutes before the game, I got a text message on my cellphone from one of you ... somebody in the media, talking about personal stuff," Lackey told the Boston Globe. "And I shouldn't even be standing up here having to deal with this. I'm sitting here listening to music. I don't know who got my phone number, but that's over the line."
Lester was understandably testy throughout the interview. In addition to the Sox's desperate struggle to get to the playoffs and his own personal problems at home, he now has to deal with harassment from media on his private cell phone.
Sure, reporters have to do their best to get a scoop. Whether or not players like it, they can roam the clubhouse and try to corner the athletes for a quote. Reporters can ask tough questions during a press conference and make players uncomfortable. But there are lines that should not be crossed, and this mystery reporter went WAY too far.
There is a reason why the press are kicked out of the clubhouse in the moments before a game starts; the players deserve privacy and peace to compose themselves before walking onto their diamond stage. Harassing text messages during 30 minutes before a game is not only rude and unethical, it could have potentially damaged his game. This reporter might as well have trespassed on Lackey's property and knocked on his door during dinnertime.
The reporter really did take it a step too far. Personal problems, and team problems really should stay separated while in the clubhouse. In my opinion, it was an incredibly weak cheap shot on the reporter's part, who was clearly just trying to get in Lackey's head.
ReplyDeleteI think as a journalist, if you did something like this you have no integrity. Like Matt said above, the guy has personal issues and now team issues too. He hasn't had a great season and his team needs him focus as they try to make postseason. It's a very cruel world out there. This definitely ruins a player-media relationship.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? I think the text that John Lackey is referring to came from a TMZ reporter.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a guess. But... I discussed this with another reporter and this was the best theory we could come up with.
Here's why: the TMZ report didn't go online until the next morning after that game. And TMZ, albeit salacious, is actually known to play by the basic rules of journalism, one of which is you make sure you give each side a chance to respond.
Plus, how would another reporter, one from a mainstream publication covering that night's Red Sox-Yankees game, get a scoop that TMZ was running that story? Possible, but I think it's unlikely. Plus Lackey made it clear he had no idea who the reporter was who sent him that tweet; my guess is if it was a beat reporter, he would more than likely know who that is.
Again, just a guess. But clearly no one in the group of reporters in front of him knew what he was talking about, based on their collective response to his opening remarks.