Dan Patrick had the most talked-about athlete in America scheduled for an interview on Tuesday, only to watch the opportunity fall through his fingers.
After a disastrous drop near the end of a Monday Night Football collapse by his Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley canceled a scheduled appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
But rather than slam Barkley over it, Patrick explained why he “understood” Barkley’s decision and appreciated the “classy” way he communicated it.
“We were scheduled to have Saquon Barkley on, and as soon as he dropped that ball I said to myself, probably not having Saquon Barkley on,” Patrick explained. “This was a sponsored booking, so he was going to be on because he was selling a product. And I said this morning when I came in that it’s probably wise if Saquon doesn’t join us. I understood it … because first of all, if you’re the sponsor and you’re paying him to endorse you, people aren’t going to be focusing on the product, people are going to be focused on the fact that Saquon is on a show right after this drop, right after this loss and he’s selling something.”
Patrick said Barkley sent a message directly to the show apologizing and hoping to reschedule.
“That’s a classy move,” Patrick said. “I’m not surprised because I’ve always felt that way in our interactions with him, he seems like a really good guy.”
Compare this to Jim Rome’s recent run-in with New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who refused to discuss the Jets in a promotional interview with Rome this summer.
Athletes choose to sign endorsement deals that require media appearances, so they owe it to everyone involved to handle tricky situations respectfully.
It’s a big get, even a popular host like Patrick, to get Barkley. The running back explaining himself directly and offering to redo the interview is a small but nice token.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.