ESPN’s Josina Anderson releases statement on Michael Sam showering story
By Sam Richmond
ESPN and its NFL reporter Josina Anderson found themselves in some serious hot water this week for reporting on the showering habits of St.Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam.
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Anderson spoke with multiple Rams players about who Sam, the first openly gay active NFL player, had showered with and many felt the report was unnecessary and offensive.
ESPN released a statement on Wednesday apologizing for the report. Now, Anderson has released a statement of her own on ESPN Front Row.
It reads:
"I wanted to take this opportunity to say I understand the vast and varying perspectives regarding our Michael Sam report. I’m particularly sensitive to those who feel the content therein worked to perpetuate stereotypes surrounding the LGBT community, or was just overall insensitive. In all humility, I truly understand these viewpoints and have taken time to reflect on how our story had this unintended consequence. To Michael Sam, I truly empathize with and respect your journey thus far on many different levels. Ultimately, I’ve always believed making a professional sports roster should and will come down to production.In my role as reporter, it’s also important for me to emphasize that I highly value accuracy and in this case gathered facts using well-accepted journalistic standards. I can also appreciate that there are always lessons to be gained in any situation regardless of experience or tenure.As I move on, I look forward to leading off ESPN’s regular-season NFL coverage next week and I appreciate their continued support."
While this story will likely stick with Anderson for the foreseeable future, it seems based on her statement that she understands where she erred with this report.
The Rams selected Sam in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.