Why the Media's Blown Coverage of the Brett Farve "scandal" Matters

Journalists who seem to have a knack for missing what's important are at it again, this time on the sports pages over what they are assuming is a "scandal" involving Brett Farve sending graphic photos to former Jets masseuse Jenn Sterger while Farve played for the Jets.

The alleged photos and voice mails were somehow obtained and sold by a 3rd party to a web site for what some are saying was a substantial amount of money. But the most significant fact surrounding the incident is that it occurred 4 days before Farve's current team, the Vikings, were to play the Jets.

What has gone completely over the heads of these supposed journalists, is that the fact that these photos which were sent to Sterger two years ago, were made public 4 days before the Vikings played the Jets could land a lot of people in a lot of trouble. And Farve isn't one of them.

Sterger obviously never had any problem with them since she said or did nothing about it for two years.

The real issues have nothing to do with Farve. The real issues are, who was the person who turned over the photos, when did that person come into possession of the photos, did they get the photos legitimately, who else knew they were going to be turned over to the web site and most importantly, what was the motive for doing it, something that has gone completely unmentioned by the myopic stampeding herd known as journalists. Because the motive for making those photos public 4 days before the Vikings were to play the Jets was clearly not money.

Those photos would have been even more valuable when Farve played for the Jets. They would have been even more valuable the week Farve played for the NFC championship against the Saints. They also would have been just as valuable monetarily after the Jets played the Vikings as they were before. So why were they made public by someone 4 days before the Vikings-Jets game?

The obvious answer is to rattle Farve right before the Jets game for no other purprose than to influence the outcome of the game in the Jets favor.

It happens to be a federal crime to try and affect the outcome of a public athletic contest through nefarious means. It doesn't have to be a bribe. The evidence is that these photos were given to the web site to upset Farve and provide a major distraction in the hopes of influencing the outcome of the game.

If that is the case ( and all the circumstantial evidence points to the fact that it most surely is) if it can be proved, the person who provided the pictures could be heading to jail. In addition any employee of the New York Jets from the lowest employee to the coaching staff including head coach Rex Ryan, or anyone in the Jets front office who had any advance knowledge that these photos were going to be made public 4 days before the Jets played the Vikings and said nothing giving their release tacit approval, could be facing severe suspensions, fines, even lifetime bans from the NFL.

The rumor mill has it that the person who made the photos public was another masseuse for the Jets. If that's the case aside from possible federal prosecution, that person will most likely be banned for life from ever being employed again by an NFL team.

There could very well be major repercussions over this incident, all of which have gone right by all the journalists covering the story, and none of which would have a thing to do with Farve who, if he did send the photos was probably invited by Sterger to send them since, not two years ago when it happened, nor any time during the last two years, nor even now did Sterger ever have any problem with receiving them or characterize them as unwanted advances. But all that the news media has been looking at is the sensationalist and knee jerk assumption that this is Farve's scandal and that the photos were unsolicited.

If Farve did throw a pass at Sterger, whether it was complete or incomplete, the only penalty Farve is going to get will probably come from his wife. But the Jets as an organization as well as the person who intercepted the photos could find themselves, not doused in Gatorade, but in a lot of hot water. And the same can be said for the journalists covering the story who so far have dropped the ball. And why it matters is because the same state that journalism finds itself in with Farve applies to journalists covering the more important issues the country deals with on a daily basis. As well as the blind coverage of its leaders.