Three days ago, the New England Patriots made headlines when they traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals. The move was analyzed throughout the sporting world but one opinion in particular caught the eye, especially in New England: that of Ty Law.
The Patriots Hall of Fame cornerback had to say the following about the Patriots' personnel approach:
I think it has cost them championships. I think they let go of too many guys who can rally the troops and win Super Bowls.
Given that the Patriots had just won a Super Bowl a year ago, Law's statement was noteworthy to say the least. Bill Belichick's personnel approach was and is a big reason for that victory and New England's constant success over the last decade-plus.
Well, it turns out that Law was not speaking about the Chandler Jones trade, after all.
According to WEEI's Dale & Holley, ESPN used a two-year old audio clip of Ty Law speaking about the Patriots and them not winning a Super Bowl in over a decade. Since then, the Patriots have won another championship making Law's statements more or less obsolete.
That didn't stop the self-proclaimed "world wide leader in sports" from using the outdated soundbite, though, as ESPN – which did not disclose that Law's statement was two years old – once again resorted to inaccurate reporting when talking about the Patriots. Just the latest example of the network seemingly not caring about journalistic integrity, something that unfortunately has become custom the last few years.