(Courtesy of Jared Stillman) (Courtesy of Jared Stillman)
By Michael Grant on

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Jared Stillman’s questions and criticisms of the Tennessee Titans seem even more valid these days.

Stillman, the Nashville-based radio host and podcaster, had his media credentials revoked following a heated exchange with quarterback Cam Ward over Ward’s preseason performance. According to Stillman, the Titans banned him from practice and press conferences because he is a YouTuber, not a daily beat reporter. He also said the Titans didn’t want him around because of “the totality of my coverage.”

By barring Stillman, the Titans invited plenty of negative national attention. It also probably helped raise Stillman’s national profile. And after the Titans lost their season-opener at home to the Jets 23-10, Stillman could gloat. But the self-described Titans fan and season-ticket holder wasn’t interested in doing that. We recently caught up with Stillman to discuss his relationship with the Titans.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Any updates on your situation?

Jared Stillman: “No. The Titans have not commented on this publicly. I haven’t talked to any of the people in PR over there. I haven’t talked to the team president. And I’m not really interested in begging for my credential access back because if I were to beg for that access back, I would feel that that would come with expectations from them for positive coverage. And I’m not interested in doing that. I was never interested in that when I was on the radio there. I don’t expect I’ll need to ask for it back. Especially given the fact that everybody saw how they played on Sunday, and it pretty much aligns with my consistent criticism of the football team.”

Why is attending press conferences important to you?

“I would go to press conferences for two reasons. No. 1, if I had something I wanted to ask, I would go and ask it. And No. 2, I learned this very early on in my career: I felt like being available, being visible, was important for people that I would criticize. Jim Kelch, who used to call games for the Cincinnati Reds, he used to always talk about how guys that are on the beat, they go in there, they face the music, and I never was going to be a beat guy, but I did feel like there was a certain level of accountability that I needed to have with the Titans and the Predators. Hey, if you’ve got something to say, say it.’ I’ve always given new general managers, new head coaches my phone number and said, ‘Hey, look, I can be pretty critical; I just say whatever I feel. And so if you’ve got a problem, here’s my phone number. Call me.’”

Have you had any previous issues with the Titans, or was this unexpected?

“It was completely surprising to me because I’ve been this way for 11 years. And maybe for the 10 years I was on the radio, they thought, ‘Gosh, I wish we could just get him out of this building, but we can’t because he’s got a radio station behind him.’ I feel like the whole YouTuber thing was more of an opportunistic approach by the Titans. I’ve never been banned from covering a team before. I’ve had a really, really good relationship with Titans PR. I even told the PR director at the end of the call, ‘Hey, I just want you to know, like, I still consider you a friend, and I enjoy talking football with you.’”

How does losing that access affect you?

“As far as access, I don’t need that access to be opinionated. I almost feel like that access makes me accountable, which is the same thing I’m asking of the team and the players: to be accountable so that if somebody wants to say something to me, they can say it on the record or off the record. If somebody’s got a problem with me, they can confront me, and now that’s gone.”

Do you have a sense of who decided to ban you?

“There’ve been about a hundred theories. There’s probably one of seven people. It could have been the owner. There’s something, though, that I feel like the team had to know: the reaction to this was going to be incredibly negative. I remember being on the phone with them, and I’m like, ‘Do they know what’s about to happen by doing this?’ You’re making a story out of something that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. It’s going to be a very negative story, I think, for the Titans. I almost wonder if the players played a role in this or if the player families did. Again, it was a viral moment with Cam Ward. I’ve been very critical of Cam Ward.”

Were you surprised by Cam Ward’s reaction to your question during the press conference?

“The narrative about Cam Ward when he was drafted was that this guy was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school, and he perseveres every day. He is unflappable. He has a burning desire to win. And at this point, for me, after two years of watching Cam Ward, attending every Cam Ward press conference, and interacting with Cam Ward, that to me feels more like propaganda about Cam Ward than what I have seen or experienced of Cam Ward. I think Cam Ward has been very coddled by the organization. Everything he’s ever asked for, they’ve given him.

“They allowed him to ask Warren Moon for his retired number when he got drafted, which I thought was disrespectful to Warren Moon, a guy I have a ton of respect for. Warren Moon gave up the number. I had Warren on my show. I’ve known Warren for years. I told Warren Moon, ‘If I were running the Titans, I wouldn’t have even let Cam Ward make that call because you’re Warren Moon. We retired that number for a reason.’”

What did you think of the Titans’ loss last weekend?

“I am a fan of the team. I want them to do well. I’ve bought PSLs for the new stadium. I want them to be a watchable product. But I predicted the game was going to be 24-9 Jets because of what I had seen in the preseason from the Titans, and it ended up being 23-10. And there is a certain level of satisfaction in being right. There is a certain level of satisfaction in the team thinking that my negative coverage was all a shtick and in me asserting that it was how I felt about the state of the football team. There is a certain level of satisfaction in being right. Unfortunately, there’s not really any benefit to being right in the media. It’s not like they’re going to sit there and name me general manager now because I was right and they were wrong. So, I did watch the game. I hate the state the Titans are in now, but it made me feel confident in my ability to call it as I see it.”

Have you ever had any other credentialing issues with the other Nashville teams?

“No, I would say I still have a great relationship with the Predators and a great relationship with Vanderbilt. Look, I think that ultimately the relationship that I have with the Titans will end up working out one way or another because we all want the same thing. We all want the Titans to be good. And eventually I think the Titans—I don’t know when, I don’t know how—but eventually I think they will be good again. And then I think everybody will probably have cooler heads.”

What has the local media’s reaction been?

“Gentry Estes wrote a piece in the Tennessean that absolutely slayed them… I’ve upset people in the media before; being a strong opinion commentator does lead to that. But I think that the local media has seen this for what it is, which is someone being revoked access, not because they don’t have the audience to justify it, not because they were absolutely unprofessional in the building, but because their coverage was too critical. I think most media people can see through that. And most media people understand the fear that comes with: if you start doing that once, then what’s next.”

Why do you believe Arch Manning to the Titans in the 2027 draft is a possibility?

“If they get that pick and he is the quarterback that everybody’s after and he declares for the draft and Archie lets him play for the Titans, which I am a little skeptical about, then I believe Arch Manning will be a Titan. The reason why is because Amy Adams Strunk is an Adams, and her father, Bud Adams, pursued Peyton Manning relentlessly when he was a free agent and chose Denver. Bud Adams fired Mike Reinfeldt, the team president who had been the general manager before that, because he felt Reinfeldt didn’t pursue Peyton Manning hard enough. And so, she’s an Adams, and he’s a Manning.

“If Arch Manning is the top prospect and if they have the No. 1 pick, you could offer 10 first-round picks, and she’s going to take a Manning. Plus, Peyton Manning is sacred in Tennessee. So, if you’re moving into a new stadium and you’re having a hard time selling PSLs, you don’t have to hype up a Manning to the people of Tennessee. They will buy the tickets because he’s a Manning.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

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