WOJ RETURNS TO REAL LIFE AND DUMPS HIS ESPN “INSIDER” ROLE INTO OBLIVION

Let’s congratulate Adrian Wojnarowski for retiring from his gig as a senior reporter, which eliminates easy hits from agents and lets him help his alma mater while others continue a journalistic joke

     In an industry of serve-my-tastebuds billionaires — prepared to turn sports into a trillion-dollar monster — we need oceans of media insiders. But can an “insider” truly exist when ESPN, Fox and streaming platforms are squarely in business with leagues? Woodward and Bernstein, wherever they are, wouldn’t survive an hour before someone tried to ruin them with false charges.

     You should know about massive gambling scandals, ownership impropriety, transfer portal wrongdoing, concussion coverups, steroids disgraces, camera systems, bribery, violence and various wide-loads, who ache to make even more money when the general population tries to pay grocery bills. These people do not care about you beyond your disposable income, or non-disposable.

     But who are the insiders? The Washington Post tries but is having editorial issues. The Athletic, owned by the New York Times, used to try but now likes mushy features. The Los Angeles Times would ignore a quadruple murder from Shohei Ohtani when he “didn’t know” that his close pal and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, averaged 25 bets a day between December 2021 and January 2024. I know people who’ve won Pulitzer Prizes and can’t find work.

     And the cohabitating media companies? Fox Sports is run by a CEO, Eric Shanks, who refused to cover rampant human-rights crises at Qatar’s World Cup while owning a newspaper in California because: “Towns with newspapers, they function more properly … there’s less corruption.” ESPN is a grubby sportsbook run by Jimmy Pitaro, who might become the leader of Disney Company. Occasionally, his staff does commendable work when Pete Thamel covered Michigan’s sign-stealing schemes or Don Van Natta Jr. learns why Bob Kraft has been shut out by Hall of Fame voters.

     But the other day, NFL insider Adam Schefter dressed in a Mummers costume to have fun with Jason Kelce on Monday night. This came after he referred to Bruce Allen, then general manager of the Washington Football Team, as “Mr. Editor” in seeking his feedback on a story he was writing. “Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked,” Schefter wrote. “Thanks, Mr. Editor, for that and the trust.” Allen was the NFL insider’s editor, which is nauseating but also the way these newsbreakers capture the lead website hit.

     So I’d like to congratulate Adrian Wojnarowski for retiring from the “Woj Bomb” role at ESPN. Not just because radio announcers couldn’t pronounce his name, but because he was taking easy hits from agents and NBA personnel and never was a journalist. He took advantage of his function as the network’s senior insider and demanded content in the year-long mix. He overwhelmed the methodology. And when we’d rather hear his most critical information about the sport — and our investment in the product — he became a caricature of himself.

     What is a Woj? I want a real investigative reporter, not something placed on the side of a candy bar. Only digital-freak basketball fans cared about his rivalry with Shams Charania, a kid from suburban Chicago groomed by Wojnarowski. They were digital superstars who, at times, were suspected in June for what they knew about the draft. What would stop either from gambling on their information and cashing in? FanDuel is a sportsbook, where Charania worked, just as ESPN is a sportsbook. Did anybody care, including their bosses?

     Instead, Wojnarowski gave up $7 million per year and is returning to western New York, about as far away from James Dolan, Daryl Morey and Mark Cuban as geography would allow. He is becoming a general manager … of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure University, where he graduated in 1991. Coach Mark Schmidt will rely on him to coordinate NIL efforts and recruiting. I’ve known Woj well. My assumption: He wants to help a college team win instead of doing dirty work for the NBA. He says he’s “retiring from a dream job at ESPN.” My assumption suggests he’s delighted.

     “It is a thrill of a lifetime to be able to return to a university and community that I love in a role of service to our student-athletes, coaches and institution," Wojnarowski said. “I am hopeful that I can bring value in a lot of areas to our basketball program and open doors for our young men's futures in ways both professionally and personally.”

     Said the school’s athletic director, Bob Beretta: “Woj is the perfect person to fill this new role, combining his intimate knowledge of St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan values with a deep network of relationships he built across the worlds of professional and intercollegiate basketball. The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to walk away from a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona’s.”

     And what about his sportswriting days, which included a book about the Hurley family, only helped by Dan’s historic success at Connecticut? “I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN's campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter. Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it all. The craft transformed my life, but I've decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it's an investment that I'm no longer driven to make. Time isn't in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways more personally meaningful.

     “I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefitted more than me from the belief, trust and generosity of others. The past seven years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I'm appreciative of the company's leadership … for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to make a life change. After all these years reporting on everyone's teams, I'm headed back to my own.”

     He is slowing down, a wee bit. Many of us do that in this business. I worked my tail off as a columnist and ESPN commentator, starting at age 25 through 55, then returned later to this trusted site to craft pieces with total editorial freedom. Today, I welcome Adrian back to life at 55.

     Woj has been purged.

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     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.