Jeff Passan doesn’t view himself as an “advocate journalist.” But that was the role that ESPN MLB insider unexpectedly found himself in earlier this week after the Department of Defense temporarily removed an article about Jackie Robinson’s military career from its website.
On Thursday’s episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast, Passan joined the show to preview the upcoming MLB season. But the Cleveland, Ohio, native also discussed his role in the Robinson story, which he said he first caught wind of after a follower on social media notified him of the story’s dead link.
After overcoming his initial fears that he might have been getting Centel’d, Passan publicly called attention to the removal of the story, urging the “ghouls” responsible to restore it. According to the insider, he wasn’t trying to make a political statement — in fact, he was largely doing the opposite.
“This is a story that is about principle. And I thought we all agreed that Jackie Robinson’s an American hero,” Passan told Russillo. “I thought that was a settled point and not somebody who needs to be used for political reasons and not somebody whose legacy needs to be diminished in any way because our current president has a particular perspective on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Passan sent out his post late Tuesday night and by Wednesday morning the story had already taken on a life of its own. And as he continued to cover the New York Mets at Spring Training, he finally received a response from a Pentagon spokesperson effectively doubling down on the decision to remove the Robinson article, which Passan referred to as a “bomb-throwing.”
Yet despite the Pentagon sending him two separate statements standing by the removal of the Robinson article, it was ultimately restored, with the DOD declining to answer why it was removed in the first place. In any event, Passan made it clear that he wasn’t searching for social media clout with his efforts; rather, he was making the most of the credibility he’s built over the course of his career.
“I’m not seeking any sort of justice here. I’m not seeking any sort of remuneration,” he said. “It’s not that. It’s that Jackie Robinson is such an important part of telling the American story, and it felt like this was being whitewashed. And regardless of what the excuses that they had, it’s back up right now. But sometimes people tell on themselves and it felt like they told on themselves here.”
