The circle is now complete, for anyone who is paying attention. And it’s safe to say not many people are actually paying attention.
To summarize, the New York Times cobbled together an article nearly 3,000 words long that criticized the NFL for flawed concussion research from 1996 through 2001 and that pointed out superficial connections between pro football and Big Tobacco (leaving out, curiously, the fact that the supposed smoking-gun scientific expert from #Deflategate once opined that second-hand smoke doesn’t cause cancer), and the NFL issued not one but two lengthy statements taking issue with specific aspects of the Times article.
The Times has since responded to the response. Here it is.
And now our work here is done. If we ever figure what all of this was really about, we’ll let you know.