Originally Posted by
Viking Guy
I was fortunate enough to get to know Jon Pessah during the lacrosse media maelstrom. Your character assassination couldn't be more misplaced. Jon and I shared a number of incredible conversations over the course of several months, and I can tell you that he is one of the most thoughtful journalists I have ever met. I was most impressed with his resistance to the zeitgeist surrounding the early events of the lacrosse affair. At a time when everyone was ready to burn the lacrosse team at the stake, Jon refused to jump to conclusions, and preferred instead to focus on the broader picture. He turned out to be right. I respect him tremendously for that.
Yes, Jon had criticisms of Duke Athletics, but no more or less than he would have of any program in the country. In no way is he a Duke Hater. I think he actually kind of likes the place.
Like you, I am disappointed in both the tone and content of the article, perhaps even more so because I know the author. That being said, I also recognize that the author is not the person who has the final say in the content of a piece. ESPN the Mag has an agenda, and that agenda is to sell ESPN the Mag.
We should consider ourselves fortunate enough to have so much success as to warrant a cover article when we allegedly go into decline. Nobody is writing an article about the decline of, say, St. Johns.