ESPN relies on Adam Schefter for his insider information about the NFL, but perhaps they should reconsider having him on the air to provide analysis on his alma mater and its head coach who is currently embroiled in scandal.
On Thursday, Schefter appeared on First Take to discuss the situation at Michigan, where head football coach Sherrone Moore was fired Wednesday, with cause, after a university investigation allegedly uncovered he had engaged in an "inappropriate relationship with a staff member."
Moore was eventually arrested as a suspect in an alleged assault as well, and will reportedly appear in court Friday. When Schefter provided his thoughts on the matter, he wound up earning himself a ton of well-founded criticism.
Schefter: We haven't heard Moore's side
In a cringeworthy monologue, Schefter cautioned that Moore "gets his say" in what went on and added that the 39-year-old married father of three believed that some at Michigan were "out to get him."
“What we haven’t heard yet is Sherrone Moore’s side of this. And he gets his say in this particular situation as well. And I do know he felt like people had it in for him for an awful long time there while he was at Michigan. He felt like there were people who were out to get him,” Schefter said. “So all these things can all be true. It’s possible that, yes, Michigan does have evidence that he had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. And it could be that Sherrone Moore is right that people had it in for him.
“But the whole situation, itself, is just sad and tragic. Because now we have an individual who had his professional life, his personal life completely upended. We have a school with a bunch of players who don’t have a coach to turn to right now. We have a school in search of a new coach to lead forth that program. There are a whole host of things that have transpired here that have led this to be a completely surreal wild situation, that if you heard about it, you wouldn’t believe it because it almost seems made up.”
Schefter's comments draw blowback
Not surprisingly, given the gravity of the accusations against Moore and the situation as a whole, many in the media and the college football fan sphere were not interested in Schefter's take.
"ESPN should have a rule: The minute the police get involved in a story, Adam Schefter no longer talks about it on TV," said Buying Sandlot's James Kratch.
"Adam, man, what the hell are you talking about?" asked Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken.
"He kept going around in circles on this and then got even weirder when Finebaum pushed back a little bit. Frankly, everyone on First Take was uncomfortable," said Awful Announcing's Ben Koo. "IMO ESPN would be wise to ease off Schefter as a leading reporter on the Moore firing. He's clearly conflicted."
"Well this was certainly a choice," added Jake Crain of "Crain and Company."
"This is such a horrific look for you," one fan said.
"Adam sure does care an awful lot about due process, hearing both sides, and compassion. I mean, literally only in regards to his alma mater, of course. If it's any other player, team, or coach, he'll be the first to say something nasty or post private information," another person chimed in.
Schefter's recent history is checkered
While Schefter is viewed as a respected insider, he unfortunately also has a history of putting his foot in his mouth, including having to apologize to the family of former NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins for "insensitive" comments he made following Haskins' death in 2022.
Today's remarks aren't at that level of severity, but they still are embarrassing for Schefter and ESPN. He's probably better off not saying much else publicly on this issue, at least for the time being.
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