Report: ESPN tells employees not to discuss Peyton Manning story
ESPN is reportedly telling its anchors not to discuss the recent New York Daily News story about Peyton Manning.
Warning: Graphic details.
On Saturday, Shaun King published a story in the New York Daily News detailing sexual assault allegations that were leveled against Peyton Manning when he was at the University of Tennessee in 1996. In short, Manning was alleged to have teabagged and mooned a female trainer, Jaime Ann Naughright.
For those unfamiliar with the term “teabagging,” it refers to a man placing his exposed buttocks and testicles on the face of another person. Typically, this is done as a prank or by someone highly intoxicated. While the story presented by King leaves an unclear picture, it has certainly become a national headline. Unless you work at ESPN, that is, with Dennis and Callahan of WEEI radio tweeting out the following.
I was just told by a current ESPN anchor that all ESPN employees were told not to report or discuss the Daily News story on Peyton Manning.
— Mut at Night (@MutAtNightWEEI) February 14, 2016
If this is true, why? Does the National Football League simply want this story to go, and to do it is putting ample pressure on ESPN to keep quiet? The NFL and ESPN are partners, so maybe the league is doing a little bit of arm-twisting. Then again, ESPN is a news source and has an obligation to report the facts.
It seems amazing that ESPN would ignore something that could be one of the more explosive stories of the year. Maybe Manning is innocent and did nothing to be ashamed of, or maybe he committed a criminal act. Either way, the story should be vetted.