The Redskins are severely limiting Robert Griffin III's media exposure before the season starts. No chats after practices, no cameras at his locker—just one press conference a week, making six in all. So it was a massive local media scrum when Griffin held his first presser last Wednesday, with all the local TV stations carrying it live.
D.C. station 106.7 The Fan planned to air it live too, and were all set to broadcast. Until three minutes before it started, when Redskins PR guy Tony Wyllie (more on his "accomplishments" here) approached 106.7 with a threat: don't broadcast the press conference, or we'll revoke your credentials.
Wyille told Dan Steinberg at D.C. Sports Bog that the Redskins were "protecting our radio partners." Namely, ESPN 980, which is owned by Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is owned by Dan Snyder.
Nothing technically wrong with that, as NFL rules allow teams to grant exclusivity rights as they wish. But Steinberg called up five other NFL teams, and all five said they'd never bar a specific station from airing a presser live, considering it has legitimate news value in the local market. (And a Griffin press conference is about as newsy, controlled, and positive as Redskins coverage can get.) It's more of the petty, fan-disserving, media bullying we've come to expect from Snyder and co. New look Redskins! Same old bullshit.
The Redskins, press conferences and radio rights [D.C. Sports Bog]
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