Was Gammons Too Easy on A-Rod?

Before Sports Illustrated published their accusation that Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test, Selena Roberts gave him a chance to tell his side of the story. He refused, waiting for the news to break before admitting the allegations were true in a televised interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons. Why did he wait?

I think it's obvious. Aside from any grudge he may have against Roberts for writing a soon-to-be-published biography about him, he must have known that she would be looking for specific details to verify information received from anonymous sources. In other words, she'd be practicing actual journalism.

By setting up an exclusive interview with ESPN, on the other hand, he'd have more control over the tone. If he wasn't convinced ahead of time that Gammons wouldn't try to embarrass or ambush him, he could have taken his story to any other news outlet.

But such an agreement, whether it was explicitly made, or simply implicitly understood, puts Gammons in an uncomfortable position. Yes, he was given an exclusive interview on one of the biggest sports stories of the year, but did it come at the cost of his journalistic integrity? That view might be too extreme, but one day after the interview aired there's been no shortage of criticism accusing Gammons of lobbing softballs and allowing Rodriguez to speak in generalities without probing for specific details.

I'm not talking about just the blogosphere, either -- mainstream media heavyweights like the New York Times and the New York Daily News have spoken up, as has Jeff Pearlman, who's written for both ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Pearlman took particular offense at Gammons allowing Rodriguez to accuse Roberts of stalking and attempting to break into his house without asking for more details.

In an email to Deadspin, Gammons admitted he made a mistake by not asking Rodriguez to explain those allegations. It's better than nothing, but given all the attention the original interview received, it's not quite enough. I still have enormous respect for Gammons, but while his interview might be one of the most publicized moments of his career, it's certainly not one of his best.