ESPN has apologized for an embarrassing segment in which reporter Josina Anderson spent over 30 seconds analyzing Michael Sam’s showering habits within the St. Louis Rams’ dressing room, but Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is still pissed.

From Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“I’m extremely disappointed in her piece,” Fisher [said] on Wednesday, not long before the team boarded buses for Lambert Airport and the trip to Miami for Thursday’s preseason finale.

“I think it’s unethical,” Fisher continued. “I think it’s very, very unprofessional. Not only the piece itself, the content. The manner in which she did it.”

He’s absolutely correct, of course. Anderson’s quotes from Sam’s teammates indicate the players she spoke to wanted nothing to do with the subject. She only paraphrases one anonymous player and it’s clear she’s basically being humored by Kendall Langford and Alec Ogletree.

And it gets worse.

Fisher did appreciate the apology, according to Thomas, who also noted that the organization received an apology in a phone call from ESPN president John Skipper. But Fisher also claims Anderson took a shady approach to putting together the story in the first place.

“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.”

It’s worth noting that Fisher’s assertion that Anderson initiated the shower talk contradicts ESPN’s initial statement given to Jay Busbee of Yahoo! Sports.

I don’t necessarily feel as though reaching out to players privately is poor form, but it does certainly feel as though this story was manufactured with an agenda in play. If indeed that’s how things went down, good on Fisher for calling Anderson and her employer out on it.

If it isn’t and these players really did spark the shower talk — and it’s probably only a matter of time before Langford and/or Ogletree are asked whether or not that was the case — then Anderson’s report was still ridiculous, but Fisher’s criticism won’t hold as much water.

[STLToday.com]

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.