ESPN has come under fire for broadcasting a controversial interview with NFL legend Tony Dorsett over a decade into his battle with CTE.
Dorsett, the former Heisman Trophy winner who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys, was diagnosed with having signs of the degenerative disease caused by head trauma back in 2013.
The iconic running back has lived with the condition, which can cause depression and dementia, for the past 12 years, admitting he has suffered memory loss and mood swings amongst other symptoms.
Amid his deteriorating health, he was honored by his alma mater, Pittsburgh, on Saturday as ESPN’s College GameDay captured its latest show from their game against Notre Dame.
Yet during the program, reporter Jess Sims conducted a sideline interview with Dorsett pregame which went viral for the wrong reasons.
The four-time Pro Bowler lost his train of though on multiple occasions during his conversation with Sims, which led to vile jibes on social media about him being inebriated from those unaware of his condition.
ESPN has sparked fury for broadcasting a controversial interview with NFL icon Tony Dorsett
Reporter Jess Sims (center) interviewed a dazed Dorsett, who has battled CTE since 2013
ESPN sparked outrage by airing the interview on Saturday, with sports reporter Jeff Pearlman branding it ‘pretty f***ing shameful’.
‘It’s pretty f*cking shameful on two counts here,’ Pearlman said.
‘First of all, why is Pitt, whoever works for Pitt, allowing Tony Dorsett to talk to ESPN? What I mean is, someone needs to talk to the ESPN reporter from Pitt and say, ‘He’s not capable of this.’
‘Number two, why does ESPN not know that Tony Dorsett have cognitive issues? I’ve never even interviewed Tony Dorsett, and I know he has cognitive issues just from reading over the years.
‘It is heartbreaking and also irresponsible. And the interviewer is doing her best to kind of maintain professionalism, but it’s just sad and painful and heartbreaking.’
Dorsett also appeared on the ACC Network pregame show without any issues, but his difficult interview with Sims led to some unsavory remarks on social media by users who suggested he was ‘drunk.’
Given he has spoken about his battle with CTE frequently over the past 12 years, Pearlman also hit out at those posting false accusations online.
The four-time Pro Bowl running back was diagnosed with signs of the degenerative disease
‘People questioning whether he was drunk is also painful and heartbreaking,’ he added.
‘Football beats the s*** out of you, and I understand a lot of these athletes choose to do it, and you could say, ‘Well he knew what he was getting into, blah, blah, blah.’ I question that.
‘But I don’t think there’s any reason for putting these guys, unless you’re trying to showcase what the game has done to them, I don’t think there’s any justification for ESPN interviewing a guy who’s been ravaged by memory loss and decreased cognitive skills for whatever reason.’
