Roger Goodell tells ESPN employees that NFL will not dictate coverage, per report

The NFL now officially has an ownership stake in ESPN, a unique dynamic that many worry could jeopardize the critical, independent coverage of the league done by ESPN. This concern has been raised so prominently in the days since the companies announced their new, historic partnership that ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro has addressed it on the record multiple times.

Now, Roger Goodell has addressed it as well.

Per Front Office Sports, Goodell addressed ESPN employees in an all-hands meeting on Wednesday in which he affirmed that the league will not meddle in ESPN’s coverage. The commissioner reportedly “emphasized to ESPN employees that the league would not get involved in the network’s journalism.”

Worries over ESPN’s editorial freedom peaked in a disagreement earlier this month between longtime ESPN investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. and former ESPN host Dan Patrick. In a back-and-forth online and over the air, Patrick said the Worldwide Leader “can’t be any further in bed” with the Shield, to which Van Natta Jr. retorted that Patrick should “do your homework before you malign your ex-colleagues.”

Patrick then doubled down, arguing that the conflict of interest persists. “From here on out is when you’re judged covering the NFL,” he said.

Later, Pitaro insisted “nothing is changing” about ESPN’s coverage of the league. Earlier this month, the two sides finalized a deal that will see the NFL take a 10 percent stake in ESPN in exchange for licensing rights to the NFL Network, NFL RedZone, NFL fantasy and betting assets, and more.

ESPN has bolstered the reporting team for its website in recent years, particularly when it comes to football. Beyond Van Natta Jr., the company employs renowned reporters like Kalyn Kahler, Seth Wickersham, and Dan Wetzel in addition to insiders like Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler.

But no matter what leaders like Jimmy Pitaro and Roger Goodell say, Patrick is correct to note that the real scrutiny will come once federal regulators approve the deal. The equity deal marks a new level of closeness between a league and its broadcast partner, particularly one that still aims to do real journalism.