Time and time again, NFL insiders have proven themselves ill-equipped to discuss touchy subjects.
You have ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who is prone to tone-deaf declarations and a stunning lack of sensitivity about important issues. And then there’s NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Now, it would be unfair to cast that same light upon Rapoport, but he received a lot of backlash for a tweet that surfaced shortly after Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired by the university on Monday.
A dramatic decision at Northwestern. https://t.co/vBJSuMUVid
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2023
There are a lot of ways to frame that tweet. “Dramatic” isn’t exactly appropriate for what has allegedly transpired at Northwestern and led to Fitzgerald’s firing.
Fitzgerald received just a two-week suspension following an investigation into hazing incidents going on within the football program, which he had previously led since 2006. A former player came forward to reveal details of disturbing hazing incidents, which led to the University reconsidering its position on Fitzgerald’s job status and ultimately led to his dismissal Monday.
As more and more ugly details of the hazing emerged, it appeared very clear that they may have misjudged the original sanction. Not exactly dramatic, but it seems like the university has now made the “appropriate” decision.
There’s a litany of other phrases that Rapoport could’ve chosen to use, and that was expressed to him on Twitter, with some being harsher than others.
Dramatic is certainly a word choice. https://t.co/lgCBHzUjgV
— Mike Cole (@MikeColeNESN) July 10, 2023
sometimes i think this man doesn’t know what words mean https://t.co/6vDTVIqoG5
— mike taddow (@MikeTaddow) July 10, 2023
Firing the coach that turned a blind eye to sexual assault for literal decades is the farthest thing from dramatic https://t.co/mzrgD60HkF
— Collin (@inman_collin) July 10, 2023
Dramatic? https://t.co/yNfVIGB7tw
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) July 10, 2023
Appropriate decision is a better phrase to use here. https://t.co/ia950ie7nS
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) July 10, 2023
https://twitter.com/NoPuckStops/status/1678541490975383552?s=20
I don’t think dramatic is the word.. https://t.co/6CDQpdRIue
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) July 10, 2023
There are numerous different ways that Rapoport could’ve chosen to react to Northwestern’s decision to fire Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, his words came across as tone-deaf, and he has since caught a lot of flak on Twitter for doing so. We’d have to imagine that he’ll be a bit more careful the next time he reacts to a touchy subject like this.
