NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport opens up about Nick Foles scoop he missed
The lesson Rapoport learned? Never put down the phone, even when attending to his own personal hygiene.
Since joining the NFL Network in 2009, Ian Rapoport has been a news-breaking machine for the network, dishing scoop after scoop on his highly followed Twitter account.
Sometimes those scoops draw quite a reaction, like when he reported in June 2018 that former Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns. Kendricks vehemently and profanely denied Rapoport’s report, which was ultimately correct.
But during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina, Rapoport opened up about the time he missed out on breaking a scoop (albeit a relatively minor and widely expected one) involving former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
“I reported during the Super Bowl that the Eagles were going to pick up Nick Foles’ option. Basically, the expectation was Foles was going to decline it,” Rapoport said on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. “I put my phone on the counter, and I’m brushing my teeth and I get a text, and the text says, basically, that Foles is opting out. I was brushing my teeth and I did something else and I missed it. I was three minutes late on a story that I had. And I’m like, ‘Okay. I’m never going to put my phone down.’ ”
Rapoport said the one missed scoop that still upsets him was the news in January 2014 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had hired former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith.
Rapoport said he had brought his then-5-month-old son upstairs for a diaper change, but left his phone downstairs. After a few minutes, his wife came running with the phone, telling him he missed two calls from the same phone number — a source trying to give Rapoport the scoop that was ultimately reported first by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.
“You work so long for these scoops, and I missed it because I took my son up to change him,” Rapoport said. “My wife had to give me a stern talking to, ‘Look, if you miss a story because you’re changing your son, I think you’ll be okay.’ "
“You can’t take care of your kids. You can’t brush your teeth. What kind of life is this Ian? What kind of life have you chosen?” Traina asked.
Rapoport also weighed in on the fake Twitter accounts that pretend to be him and what he thinks about competing with ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Viewers scratch their heads at ESPN’s score bug
Monday night, Vince Velasquez gave up three homes runs in the Phillies’ 6-0 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. While most local fans likely watched the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia, it also aired nationally on ESPN, where the score bug has viewers scratching their heads.
Instead of displaying the Phillies current logo, ESPN went with the team’s retro logo from the 1970s and 1980s. But neither the Phillies nor the Cardinals were wearing their retro jerseys or hats.
ESPN did not respond to a request for comment.
The Phillies will wear at least 10 different hats this season, including their retro maroon cap as a second alternate. In addition to their home cap, batting practice cap, and alternate cap, the team will wear special hats for Armed Forces Day (May 18), Father’s Day (June 16), Fourth of July weekend (July 4-7), the Home Run Derby (July 8), and the All-Star Game (July 9)
They’ll also wear this hat this Sunday, May 12, against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Quick Hits
• Charles Barkley thinks he and his Inside the NBA colleagues will be watching the Eastern Conference finals in Toronto, and not Philadelphia. Game 5 between the Sixers and the Raptors is Tuesday at 8 p.m. on TNT, with the series tied at two games each.
• NBC Sports’ Peter King dealt an uncharastically savage blow against former Washington Redskins quarterback and former Sunday Night Football announcer Joe Theismann in his latest column, after quarterback Dwayne Haskins spoke to Theismann before deciding to wear his No. 7 jersey: