Adam Schefter's laundry service isn't free

Before we dip into this week's Mariner-a Sauce, I want to trace the ethically dubious history that preceded Schefter's podcast interview with Dalvin Cook 'cuz it's kind of scummy.

NFL running back Dalvin Cook was sued in November 2021 by a woman who said the running back had assaulted her in his Minnesota home the previous year.

Forty-five minutes before the Minneapolis Star-Tribune posted its story on the lawsuit, ESPN’s Adam Schefter Tweeted out Cook had been the victim of domestic abuse and extortion, attributing the information to Cook’s agent.

I wrote about the ethical problems with Schefter’s reporting because it sure looked like he let a player’s agent get out in front of a lawsuit, relying exclusively on information from the player’s agent. And actually, Schefter later acknowledged that’s pretty much exactly what he did, citing the information from the agent without getting comment from the other side. You know, Reporting 101.

“I could've done a better job reaching out to the other people,” Schefter said on an episode of SportsCenter, “especially on a story as sensitive and as significant as this."

Why bring all this up now? Well, Cook is currently free to sign with any team after being released by Minnesota, and on Monday, Schefter released a podcast in which he interviewed … Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler.

Don’t say Schefter doesn’t get anything when he does laundry.

Since we last spoke, the Mariners have gotten a lot better pitching and a little better in the standings. Emphasis on “little.”