On Friday I interviewed EliteXC head of fight operations Jeremy Lappen, and pointed out to him that he had seemed to contradict himself about whether or not EliteXC offered Seth Petruzelli a submission bonus.Lappen was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying that EliteXC does not give submission bonuses, while he was quoted by ESPN as saying that Petruzelli was offered a submission bonus. Lappen told me that both stories misquoted him.
Today the writer of the Sports Illustrated piece in question, Josh Gross, told me flatly, "I stand by my reporting. I did not misquote Jeremy Lappen." Indeed, Gross played for me a portion of his recorded interview with Lappen, in which Lappen says to him that Petruzelli was given "Just a knockout bonus. We don't give submission bonuses."
I have read a great deal of Gross's work, and I have read a great deal of the work of Franklin McNeil, who wrote the ESPN piece in question. I do not believe either one of them would misquote a source.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-12-2008 @ 8:06PM
Drew said...
MDS, what about "giving Seth a bonus before the fight started?" Did he say it like that? Is it possible that he didn't mean to quote it like he said it? Thanks.
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10-12-2008 @ 9:22PM
Michael David Smith said...
Drew, Lappen told me, "We gave Seth a knockout bonus before the fight started. That was part of the deal."
What I think he meant was that the deal was agreed to before the fight, not that Petruzelli actually got the bonus before the fight.