ESPN Reporter Chris Sheridan is Suing Peter Vecsey of the NY Post for Libel
By Jason McIntyre
In Vecsey’s December 14th column, he zinged Sheridan, who had recently reported that Carmelo Anthony wouldn’t accept a trade to any team other than the New York Knicks. Here’s what Vecsey wrote:
"No doubt the same fountains of misinformation that frequently play make-believe with ESPN’s Chris Sheridan, whose latest fairy tale had Carmelo Anthony notifying the Nuggets he won’t accept a trade to any team but the Knicks. While I thoroughly accept the presupposition ‘Melo will want to play in New York until the moment he understands that’s an impossibility unless he opts to become a free agent this summer, Sheridan’s account is such a fake he needs to be called out."
Anthony, of course, was traded to the Knicks in February.
"And that’s not the only part of Sheridan’s yarn that never happened. For months he has claimed the Knicks and Nuggets have discussed various trades, recklessly throwing out the names of Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler and Anthony Randolph, while pretending Denver may be interested in Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and that New York owns the extraneous wherewithal to acquire a No. 1 pick from a third team to include it in the package. Sheer nonsense! Every last word!"
Three of those four players were dealt (Fields stayed). More egg on the face of Vecsey.
"Even Sheridan’s invented informants, I suspect, might be able to smell the aroma of a potential Nets deal brewing once Wednesday rolls around and summer free-agent signees are allowed to be traded."
Pretty ballsy claim to call Sheridan’s sources, “invented informants.” The guy used to work at the Associated Press and has covered the NBA for over a decade. If I had to pick a phrase that probably set Sheridan off, it’d be that one.
But despite the brow-beating Sheridan took from Vecsey, does he have a shot in court? Forbes says that Sheridan is suing because Vecsey “’published a maliciously false article’ that impugned ‘Chris Sheridan’s veracity and competence as a journalist.'”
Having taken zero law classes, I’m going to guess Sheridan’s lawsuit gets tossed by a judge.
* Nine years running!