Fired-up Patriots reporter squares off with a Boston radio host on the Brandon Aiyuk report.
Mike Reiss, ESPN’s New England Patriots beat reporter, takes issue with comments made by well-known radio presenter Mike Felger about Reiss’ coverage of the Brandon Aiyuk case. And it spurred Reiss, a well-known beat reporter, to confront Felger on Boston radio’s most popular show Wednesday afternoon.
“To me, I smell a rat with the reporting on the money,” Felger remarked at the start of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” show.
“When Mike Reiss received that information late yesterday afternoon, I smelt a rat right away. I sniffed it. It’s not a criticism on Mike Reiss, whose reporting is outstanding. He’s extremely well-connected within the Patriots. So I understand where it’s coming from and how they (the Patriots) operate.”
The program next broadcast a clip from Reiss’ Tuesday report, which mentioned the Patriots’ aggressive pursuit. Reiss was among those who reported on the Patriots’ average yearly value offer to Aiyuk, but not on the guarantees. Felger cast shade, implying that it was a team-friendly report.
Reiss called into the radio broadcast within the next hour.
“So, I haven’t been listening to you guys and I’m ready to fight if you want to fight,” Reiss told the crowd. “But the issue is, I have people contacting me and tweets showing up in my alerts. I think the insinuation that worries me is that you believe, Mike, that this information comes from the team.
“So you think the team would tell me that and I’d go on ‘SportsCenter’ to report it? And, to be honest, Mike, I’m actually a little bit protected by that — if that’s true. I’m not sure whether that’s correct because I haven’t been listening, however…
Felger jumped in and said he did feel that way.
“That’s not how it works! That irritates me because you’ve been in this position. And you understand that that is not fair or accurate in this case.”
