This Pam Oliver Thing

Everything McNabb says or does that is the least bit controversial (pointing his arms to the sky?) turns into a big deal, but I have a bad feeling this whole Pam Oliver thing is primed to go to the next level, for a number of reasons:

• Oliver's defense is very convincing.  I read it and I bought it. 
• The Eagles' playoff hopes have now been officially dashed, which is going to make everyone awfully grumpy and free up lots of media space for Yet Another McNabb Controversy.
• Pam Oliver is both female and African American.  Even (especially?) McNabb's own parents aren't going to like the visual of their son basically calling Oliver a liar.
• This latest controversy changes the whole McNabb "stand-up guy" storyline.  It's hard to hold the moral high ground when you're the stabber, not the stabbee. 
• Everyone knows McNabb isn't happy with what's happened in Philly in the past 13 months.  Whether or not he said exactly what Oliver claims he said, McNabb clearly let fly to some extent regarding his feelings about Philadelphia.  A lot of people -- who have to this point defended McNabb -- are going to feel like, "Hey, if you don't like it here, screw you and enjoy your time with whatever hellhole franchise will give us a couple of draft picks."

The next question will be how McNabb responds.  I think Gabe is probably right that we're looking at a clean-up post on Don's ridiculous blog.  But I don't see how that's enough.  If he backtracks at all, that's just going to invite high-stakes questioning the next time McNabb appears before a media horde looking to close up ranks around an unfairly-maligned colleague.  And if he stands by his story, it's going to look like he doesn't have the guts to do so in a venue he doesn't completely control.  Not to mention it doesn't solve the issue he has with Oliver.

No, if McNabb really wants to fix this, he needs to do three things:

1. Call Oliver and apologize to her directly for what he said "in the heat of the moment after a big win against the Cowboys."  Mostly so that he can say that he's done this, but also because it's the right thing to do.
2. Explain at his next press sit-down what, in fact, he did say.  The cat's pretty much out of the bag on the whole ripping-the-organization thing, so McNabb probably needs to admit that he did express some frustration with how the season has progressed, but make it quite clear that what he's "most concerned about is how we as a team and me individually didn't get the job done this year."  He could even throw in an: "I'm a competitor and it burns me up that we didn't have a successful season and that's what I'm really most frustrated about."  It doesn't really matter what he says, though, because the most important point will be...   
3. Blaming the media.  Embrace the fans, dance around the organization issue and make it very clear that it's the negativity in the local media -- especially those sports radio people the print reporters like to look down upon anyway -- that he was really lashing out about.  Try the old, "There are 53 guys in this locker room who are busting their butts out there every week trying to get a win and all we ever hear about is how much we suck.  THAT's what I was trying to say last week."

And then the obvious Q&A:

Ink-Stained Wretch:  "But Donovan, Oliver claims you very clearly said that you felt the organization was distancing itself from you.  Can you explain what you meant?"

Quarterback happy he has his mobility back to dance around these questions:  "Look, I've known Pam for many years.  She's a fine reporter and I want to make it very clear I'm not suggesting she fabricated any statements or made anything up.  But the truth is you're talking about a quick, off-the-cuff conversation before the game when all I was really trying to do was get ready to face the Cowboys.  I'm sure I didn't say things as precisely as I should have.  What I meant was [and then segue into #2 or #3 above depending upon need]."

It still won't be enough for everyone.  But the longer this festers, the worse I think it's going to be.

Comments

[Andrew]

Sorry. Who cares besides Angelo and Pam?

All these McNabb sidelight stories are stupid.

I'm firmly in the camp of "Pam's impressions" being whatever she needs to say to help stir up controversy, and it fit right into the theme Joe Buck set up to start the show.

[bigmyc]

What a complete pick fuq this whole "As McNabb turns" deal has become....

I just can't wait unitl either this guy is gone or the media at large is gone or the fans that care about this bullshit are gone....which one is most likely to happen.

Are we football fans or bon bon gorging, soap opera addicted housewives?

Let's frick'n move on to next year to see this emerging killer defense spur the team to greater heights than the doldrums of one man's struggle with recognition.

It's over already so let it be such. And...if it's not over for some torturous reason, please act like it is anyway and don't give this manchild his way.

[Colin]

If Pam had even a clue about journalism, she wouldn't have this problem. Write some notes. When she says "my impression" and "really seems to believe" she opens herself up to this.

I'd like to point out that she lies in the delaware online piece. She says she "bent over backwards to make it less impactful." That's clearly a lie, she led her report with her "impression" because that was more impactful than the actual quote she used, it insinuated much more. It's also very sloppy journalism at best, muckraking at worst.

Of course, she can always fall back on "her mother's grave" as the basis of her report. Did she even go to journalism school? Sounds like a playground response more than the response of a professional, reliable investigative journalist. I know it was FOX, but try to do your job a little bit, Pam.

[Gabe from BountyBowl]

I can't tell you how desperately I'm rooting against this story. Like the way I root for injuries to divisional opponents.

Unfortunately, now that the Birds are Officially Out Of It, there really isn't much else to talk about.

I like the idea of turning the blathermonkeys against each other. Blaming the radio guys while sucking up to the print guys is a nice diversionary tactic.

[mike]

Im sorry but I honestly dont think it's below a bonafide side-line reporter to try to get the ratings by any means necessary. It's a flat out lie. I'll trust an athlete who's going to get paid regardless over somebody who's annual salary is 10% of what that athlete makes in a week. When's the last time you picked up one of those Celebrity gossip magazines and read it front to back like a real piece of non-biased literature?

[EvanH]

Mike,
dont you think that McNabb has the most to lose if the story is true, and that Oliver has little to gain if its true, and a lot to lose (reputation, credibility among other NFLers) if she makes it up?

I love McNabb, love him, and I think its insanity for any Eagles fan to want him traded, but I think he said something close and didnt want it out. McMabb has every right to feel hurt, it was Wk 13 before Banner said he's safe (weeks after rumors of a price of 3 first rounders for McNabb surfaced). Still, I hope she made it up.

[Andrew]

EvanH:

Its not a "story". Its Pam's "impression" of a conversation put on to stir up something to talk about on a "show".

Its on the level with celebrity gossip column "news".

[Dave B from OC]

Why do sideline reporters even exist? Personally, I wouldn't blame Donovan one bit if he did say it, because of the way he's been treated.

[Dan]

Pam said that she blunted and muted the gist of Donovan's remarks.

She has no real credibility, for she admittedly softened the harshness of Donovan's comments.

Donovan, instead of being livid with Oliver, should be grateful that the FULL impact of his bizarro comments weren't reported on.

I don't see this story as Pam Oliver exposing Donovan. The REAL story is how the media, ONCE AGAIN, went out of their way, to soften, to blunt, to blur the TRUTH of his behavior and his comments.

It was always a charade.

And I have to say I NEVER liked Donovan because he's been freighting fraud for years now.

And I DON'T cotton to fraud.