Ryan Mallett: Substance Abuse Problems? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Wood]

The reason I didn't respond to this thread earlier is quite simply that I couldn't. My account had yet to be validated by an administrator.I can tell you that both of my sources are legit, and that I wouldn't have committed libel and attached my name to it, if they hadn't told me what they did.As of right now it is simply their word.As for why I did what I did with the emails, I don't have Mallett or his agent's number, so I simply emailed the University of Arkansas figuring that'd be the best way to get a hold of all parties concerned.

I appreciate you coming in here and expressing yourself, that shows a lot to me.As Andrew said though, just because the internet and blogging has lowered the bar for what's considered journalism, doesn't excuse a lack of due diligence. I'll be the first to say that I was never a fan of Mike Florio or PFT, because I felt that for every story he broke that had truth, he threw a lot of rumor and innuendo out there in a tabloid way. Clearly his strategy worked for him though because he's since been acquired by NBC Universal and is a regular on NFL live TV coverage. Being sensationalist is certainly a time tested part of "journalism" but it's also going to be met with close scrutiny. I'm sure -- whether you want to say it or not -- the goal was to get your site's name out there, and that's a perfectly reasonable thing to aspire to in today's world where there is lots of noise and not much signal. Ultimately your success or failure though will be what you do from here on out. You've got a LOT of people's attention, so let's see if you can leverage that into something or if this was your 15 nanoseconds of fame.Good luck to you.

 

[omahabrad]

I'm confused. Did Draftmonsters start this thread? Was he the one that posted his report here? Seems like Draftmonsters is getting attcked about his report but no one is really standing up for or pointing out that he's wrong about Mallet.

 

[Jason Wood]

I'm confused. Did Draftmonsters start this thread? Was he the one that posted his report here? Seems like Draftmonsters is getting attcked about his report but no one is really standing up for or pointing out that he's wrong about Mallet.

I agree that what he said hasn't been dismissed, in fact it seems a few of his vocal critics are taking issue with his choice to come forward with the information versus its veracity. That's troublesome to me, because I personally think another aspect of the expansion of "journalism" is this desire to confuse being part of the media with being part of the league's inner circle.If someone in the media KNEW that Ryan was a substance abuser, and didn't feel it was germane to share because of a sense of being a "team player" with the league, I'm not sure that's any more admirable than what NFL Draft Monster did. Now, there's a difference between KNOWING something or hearing rumors, and I can't imagine many people really know for sure whether someone is using drugs unless they've seen it in person or have direct knowledge of a drug arrest or positive test. So it cuts both ways.To your point though, one can take issue with the motivations or implementation of something even if what's being said has validity. For an extreme example, childhood obesity is a huge problem in this country (and other developed nations). But I don't think that would give most people license to walk into a school room and start pointing at kids calling them "fat pigs." If the person said, "but these kids are obese", would that excuse the behavior? I don't think what NFL Draft Monster did, by the way, fits in with my obesity analogy, I just wanted to illustrate that the truth of what's being said doesn't necessarily put the way the message is delivered beyond reproach.

 

[Andrew Garda]

I'm confused. Did Draftmonsters start this thread? Was he the one that posted his report here? Seems like Draftmonsters is getting attcked about his report but no one is really standing up for or pointing out that he's wrong about Mallet.

Even if he didn't post it here, it's been posted. Are we not allowed to debate the motivations or execution of it?We have no idea if it's true - HE even said it's just 'their word'. So even as he printed the report, he's saying he might have been lied to or misinformed. (a tried and true situation for any reporter - sometimes sources suck and sometimes they don't).I think that makes it fair game to debate the circumstances around it. We've no idea if it's true - as it stands all we have is suspicion.And again, in the case of not being sure, I say it's critical to get it as right as possible including reaching out before posting.It's - IMO - even MORE critical for a small site, blogger, journo ect - you don't have ANYONE covering your tail if you're wrong. No editor to back you up or take any heat. Your rep is ALL you have when you start out. So in my opinion, you do EVERYTHING better then any bigger or more reputable site. If JUST to say 'I did everything I could' if you're wrong.Two sources is good. I merely point out that reaching out to the player when you have a serious accusation like this is important and wouldn't have taken long. If just to say - like they did with the school - we reached out to Mallett and his people and they declined to comment, said no comment, have not responded.Again, that's my .02.

 

[BallparkFrank]

There's a 6 page discussion about this same topic/source on Footballs Future, fwiw. While some question the source and their motives, most of the discussion is actually about Mallett and the widespread rumors of his drug use. Journalism etiquette aside, this could be a rough stretch for Mallett leading up to the combine and into the draft.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

My question to Mr Lammey is why exactly is it not professional? You seem to be implying that because no one knows who I am, I shouldn't have broke the story, which is asinine. The Rhett Bhomar scandal was broken by a message board poster relaying a story he's heard from his girlfriends friend... an inquisitive reporter followed up on it, and wala!I have several sources on my Mallett article, but two of them had the exact same story (with details) independent of each other. I've been holding on to this for awhile, and in a sense it sickened me to publish this story as I am actually an Arkansas fan.

You do know that Albert Breer was the first to toss cold water on Mallett declaring he was going pro right? He wrote that article close to 2 weeks ago and talked about him(Mallett) being arrested for public intoxication his 1st season of eligibility after transferring from Michigan.You're raising the bar a bit with the coacine charges but my question is why do you want to publish it? Why the need to print something that you weren't in the room witnessing 1st hand? Do you think NFL GMs are going to read what you print and suddenly not want to draft him? The Miami Dolphins asked Dez Bryant last year if his mother was a whore, do you honestly think they won't grill Mallett about his use "allegedly" of cocaine? They probably will ask him if he was getting serviced and smoking a cigar simultaneously while doing it. These GMs do their homework and then some.

Dear Ministry of Pain,I'm not entirely sure what the point of your post is. Should people only post things if they were there to witness it firsthand? If so, that would prevent a LOT of stories from being broken. Surely you can't really mean that.Do you think they shouldn't post it because real life GM's won't care? What of the rest of us? Might this have an effect on whether you'll draft him in your fantasy leagues? Might it just be as simple as wanting to know what kind of issues a player your team might draft be dealing with? Next time, I think you should think things out before posting.Eternally yours,Dr. Awesome

Good advice friend Mainly I just didn't like him taking a swipe at our boy Cecil The MOP in me came out.

 

[Andrew Garda]

There's a 6 page discussion about this same topic/source on Footballs Future, fwiw. While some question the source and their motives, most of the discussion is actually about Mallett and the widespread rumors of his drug use. Journalism etiquette aside, this could be a rough stretch for Mallett leading up to the combine and into the draft.

Yes, definitely true. (and let's put aside journalism for a minute).With Luck still at Stanford the field is wide open so he's already got a chance to jump up some boards. He's got as big arm, is pretty accurate but has some issues under pressure with his release and had some problems (most notably against THE Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl) when flushed from the pocket.

Maturity is a big concern as well and assuming this news bears out, plays right into that concern. There's a lot of room for a guy to move up - Mallett will have to prove himself in the interview process during the Combine and Pro Days as well as on the field. I mean, the concerns he's facing - drug allegations aside for a second - in terms of maturity, cockiness and leadership have tumbled more than one QB coming into the Draft process.

I agree with the take he's heading into a rough process, but I actually think it was going to be a tad shaky even before this report.

 

[NFLDraftMonster]

I welcome the criticism, and understand why it is necessary. I would do the same to someone I'd never heard of.

The truth is, it is possible I was lied to multiple times, but given some of the specific details provided to me, I find it highly unlikely. Ryan Mallett was apparently contacted on Twitter by a Fayettville, Arkansas television reporter, and asked if the allegations were true. Mallett has yet to deny the report, simply posting "some people amaze me" and "thanks for the support from all my fans."

I have more than the two sources I listed on certain elements of the story, but those two were able to independently give certain specifics that corroborated each other's stories.

I wasn't attacking Cecil Lammey, I was, however, taking umbrage at some of the statements he was making. He was making implications which were either nonsensical, or untrue, and I wanted to correct that immediately. I actually emailed him before replying here, to no response.

Again, is it possible that I'm being used for some conspiratorial hatchet job on Mallett? It's possible, but given what I've been told, it's highly unlikely. If it turns out I was lied to, rest assured I will be right upfront, and very public in my apology to Ryan.

Thank you for your time,

Benjamin Allbright

 

[gebz306]

I cant wait to draft a thug white guy for the face of my franchise

 

[delusional]

A college student smoking weed. Who would have thunk.