The Pivot Podcast episode featuring an interview with Bill Belichick could be destined to serve as the basis for an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
After the extended Memorial Day weekend, which operates as a de facto hard reset for many media narratives and storylines, Channing Crowder of The Pivot Podcast issued a public apology for things he had said more than a week earlier about Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend/publicist/handler/idea mill/creative muse Jordon Hudson.
Which brought the story back to the front burner. Again.
Among other things, Crowder had said Hudson “choreographed” the interview. After Crowder apologized, co-host Ryan Clark denied that the interview was “choreographed.” While then explaining several things about the interview that sounded a lot like, you know, choreography.
We published an article (it’s available here) and posted a link on Twitter. Clark retweeted our link with this message:
“Well Mike. It wasn’t a pre-show meeting. Both Channing & Fred [Taylor] were on the same flight delayed from Miami. I was already in NY. So I was there first. As for serving the viewers we will not do that at the expense of people who volunteer to give us their time. We have had various reasons for edits, & exemptions. From contractual agreements, second thoughts, or just not liking how it felt. Moving slimy in the name of clicks is not worth the integrity of our show. Jordon was not contacted nor involved in any conversation about the timing in which what we documented could be released. That conversation took place between Bill & I.”
Clark’s message ignores most of the points we made. Why was Hudson involved in a 90-minute meeting before the interview started? Why was what would have been the first EXCLUSIVE! sit-down with Belichick and Hudson not released?
What does this mean, and how was it reflected in the interview process, or the editing? “Jordon wanted to be represented in a certain way, wanted their relationship to be represented in a certain way. . . . And the conversations we had afterwards, before the show was released, what we’ll show or what can we show about Bill speaking about her and the rest of our interview?”
By insisting that Hudson had no control over the interview, Clark seems to be saying Belichick exercised extensive control over the interview. Clark also may have revealed that some sort of “contractual agreement” covered the Belichick interview.
Then there’s this comment: “As for serving the viewers we will not do that at the expense of people who volunteer to give us their time.”
At some level, that’s fair. No one should expect an interviewer to try to attack the reputation of or destroy the relationship with the subject of the interview. But it’s not normal for an interviewer (when the interviewer is an actual journalist) to coordinate with the subject of the interview before, during, or after the interview. It’s also not normal for an interviewer to get approval from the subject of the interview as to the questions that will be asked and/or the answers that will be used, and those that will land on the cutting-room floor.
Frankly, it feels as if Clark allowed himself to become part of Belichick’s external P.R. team.
Exercising journalistic freedom and integrity doesn’t mean Clark should have “mov[ed] slimy in the name of clicks.” However, at the other extreme resides the danger of moving slimy in the name of access. And friendship. And financial gain. And whatever else led to a one-on-one between Clark and Belichick that seemed every bit as choreographed as a lawyer conducting a scripted direct examination of a star witness — especially during the part where Clark seemingly aided and abetted the airing of Belichick’s ongoing beef with CBS.
In summary, there’s something very strange about all of this. The more Crowder and Clark talk about it, the stranger it gets.
There apparently were communications between Clark and Belichick, after the interview ended, regarding how it would be edited and presented. There could be a “contractual agreement” regarding the interview. There’s definitely raw video of Clark interviewing Belichick and Hudson together.
So, yes, this looks like a job for Pablo Torre Finds Out.