The Miami Herald dropped the ball big time on Wednesday. In a story about an MMA fighter attacking cops after being arrested on domestic violence charges, the Herald named the fighter as long-time UFC star Nate Diaz.
One problem: it wasn’t Nate Diaz, and his agent quickly attempted to set the record straight.
Regarding the Nate Diaz Miami Herald story that just came out. This is from Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield:
“This story is absolutely not accurate. Nate has been home from the Super Bowl for over a week. This is not him. This is story is completely wrong.” /cont’d
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 12, 2020
“Nate has been in Stockton since the Tuesday after the Super Bowl and at no point did he have any interactions with Miami law enforcement. Zero issues whatsoever. And he has never been attached to anything close to domestic violence in his life.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 12, 2020
The story was quickly edited and a correction was issued, but Diaz’s camp isn’t happy and has stated that they’ll explore legal action.
More from Diaz’s rep:
The story printed by the Miami Herald is 100% false, inaccurate, baseless, irresponsible and utter nonsense. Miami Herald has since pulled down the story. We demand an apology and have already have begun exploring legal action. https://t.co/yx8LLNfK26
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 12, 2020
A rep from the Miami police department also called the Herald’s story “erroneous”.
To piggyback on this, a Miami police spokesperson tells me that Miami Herald story about Nate Diaz was “erroneous." https://t.co/MfPHVaT10r
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) February 12, 2020
The Herald “apologizes for the error,” but you can’t put the damn genie back in the bottle.
NOTE: In an initial version of this story, the Miami Herald incorrectly reported that mixed martial arts superstar Nate Diaz had been arrested in a domestic-violence case. The Herald apologizes for the error.
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) February 12, 2020
The story on the Herald’s website also leads with this blurb about their incorrect reporting.
In an initial version of this story, the Miami Herald incorrectly reported that mixed martial arts superstar Nate Diaz had been arrested in a domestic-violence case. The Herald apologizes for the error.
Furthermore, the story still spends two paragraphs talking about Diaz, shining a light on the Herald’s flawed reporting.
The Herald, based on information from a law enforcement source, initially reported that the suspect was Nate Diaz, 34, one of the most recognizable stars for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While Colina confirmed that a martial arts fighter had been in a tussle at the police station, it wasn’t Diaz.
Zach Rosenfield, Diaz’s spokesman, said Diaz has been in California since the Tuesday after the Super Bowl and was not involved in any altercation. Diaz, most recently fought and lost against rising MMA star Jorge Masvidal during the headline bout at UFC 244 in November, is one of the sport’s biggest names.
The actual fighter arrested was a man named Michael Nates, a Miami native who hasn’t fought since 2012.
I need to reiterate how awful of a flub this is for the Herald. If you’re a media outlet and you’re going to name someone involved in an incident, you’d better make sure you’re right. If you incorrectly identify someone, your credibility is going to fall into the toilet – and that doesn’t even take the potential legal ramifications into consideration.
