NFL Network screws up its foray into recruiting

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 4, 2017, 6:37 AM EDT

Ja’Marr Chase, a highly regarded high school wide receiver in Louisiana, said over the weekend that he would announce his college choice on NFL Network. But he didn’t, thanks to a screwup by NFL Network.

When a higher-ranked recruit, Greg Emerson, said he too would like to make his college choice on NFL Network, the network gave air time to Emerson and bumped Chase’s announcement off the show.

Chase is understandably upset, and he has retweeted several tweets criticizing NFL Network for bumping him off its show. Chase still hasn’t announced publicly whether he’ll go to LSU or TCU, his top two options. He indicated that he’ll make an announcement later this week instead.

Whether it was a wise idea for NFL Network to get into the recruiting business in the first place is an open question. But if they’re going to do it, they shouldn’t have left a kid hanging on what was supposed to be one of the biggest days of his life.

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40 responses to “NFL Network screws up its foray into recruiting”

  1. Once again, another cable channel with too much air time to fill, having to generate content, makes fools out of themselves. Wish there was a way to cut down on the number of TV outlets and have a return to quality programming over quantity.

  2. The are on the air 24×7. Mostly airing repeats of the Top-100 players of 2016 or A Football Life.

    They couldn’t find time for two kids special moments?

  3. I don’t know about anyone else, but this is a non story to me. These are high school kids after all, and who cares where they are going to attend college? I could not care less.
    I read and hear sports reporters saying all the time that these youngsters have too much pressure put on them, so to me — the networks shouldn’t even be giving them air time to announce where they are going to college.
    Let them be kids, for crying out loud — they’ll have enough pressure on them if and when they become pros.

  4. Traditional media, social media, and our society in general have created a completely self absorbed world. It’s all about ME.

    “I am upset that the cameras weren’t on ME when I was going to announce MY decision…”

    These are just high school kids. What’s next? Cameras descending on some elementary school for a kid to announce what high school they want to go to.

    I don’t get it. Oh well. Ja’Marr will pick up a few more twitter followers to soothe his ego.

  6. The kid Chase will come to realize that he will be used and abused by the NFL. First lesson occurred before he played a snap of college ball much less NFL football.

  9. it sounds like this kid, Ja’Marr Chase, was using the NFL network to showcase his brand, trying to make a name for himself. A prime example of the “its’-all-about-me” generation,

    So it didn’t work out because the NFL Network caught a bigger minnow in its trap. Should we feel sorry for him? Does the NFL network need to apologize? Heck no.

    He will get another chance in the near future to show the world it is all about him.

    and have a Happy/Safe 4th

  11. Disappointments in life are why Twitter exists. You can graduate from disappointed to dumb and petty in a single Tweet.

  14. Stick to the NFL, NFL Network. Seriously. It’s not a good look when you steal media moments from the networks that actually cover college football. Stay in your lane.

  15. Shows you how permissive/empowered these kids are …basically a high school kid thinks he is bigger than the NFL’s own media outlet.

  16. As much as I love football, I can’t stand the way young athletes are treated. A friggin high school kid goes on national TV to announce his college choice. Is it any wonder these kids become narcisstic, undisclipibed babies once they get into the league? Hundreds of thousands of kids go to college in important fields each year. Science. Math. Education. The Arts. They don’t get nationally televised announcements. I know..it’s money, stupid. I get it. But this is not something the NFL should be contributing to.

  17. High school.
    These kids are in high school.
    They are 17-year-olds. No one outside of their friends & family should care about their college choice. We shouldn’t be hearing about who “gets to” have them on their college football team. We shouldn’t be enabling this sort of meaningless ego-stroking at a national level for high school kids. No good will come from that. Save the hype for when they are more grown up, and when they’ve actually accomplished something more substantial.

  18. These entitled twerps can go away for all i care. Good job NFLN for putting at least one of them in their place.

  19. I am interested on a social experiment level which of these 2 WRs become the better player. Emerson is the higher ranked today. Who will be drafted higher in 3 years. Oh the drama!

  21. He’s upset because he told all of his friends in the hood that he was going to be on tv, that’s it, end of story. Why you would even put a camera in front of these idiots to see them juggle hats for 2 minutes is pure idiocy. They will both eventually wash out and will have their 7 minutes of fame. BTW, football players don’t have a “brand,” they are just overpaid for a brief time and then broke again, that’s it.

  22. In a way this is a good thing. These two are helping to render the next incarnation of the GOAT. Can we presume it won’t be either of these kids supplanting Jerry Rice or his twenty season career, 100 NFL records stats?

    And to think in 1985 the Patriots traded their first & second round picks to Bill Walsh & San Fran for Trevor Matich and Garin Veris, otherwise this current dynasty might have had its beginnings even sooner. Speaking of GOATs, I suppose we could say it was hardly anybody’s fault that Raymond Berry was no Bill Belichick either.

  24. 1) NFLN went to garbage when Eisen basically left.
    2) if TCU and LSU are his two options, he’s not all that great. 😂

  25. I don’t care what school either of these kids goes to because I don’t keep track of high school players but keep your word. If you tell someone you are going to do something do it. at least this kid will realize at a young age its about money because its a business.

  28. The train has gone off the rails when high school kids are made into celebs and it’s popular to bet on their games.

  29. Lolz at Roger’s incompetent boobs. As if anything else was likely to happen.

    Not to mention who cares where a high school player is going other than his family and the top couple schools that recruited them?

    There’s a much higher chance than not that both of these players will fade in college and never make it to the pros.

  31. I hate the NFL Network.All they talk about is the NY Jets,Dallas and the NE Patriots constantly.There are 29 other NFL teams and all their commentary is about the above teams.

  32. I have to laugh at this Kid. I made a comment a few days ago regarding how wrong this whole “look at Me” generation of athletes coming up and now karma bites him immediately. The first lesson is life is… someone is always stronger, smarter, faster and richer than you are. Get use to it!

  33. The kid has been green-lighted to have an “all about me” attitude from the butt smoochers that have enabled him since he was in the eighth grade.

    That being said, why wasn’t I on TV when I filled out my last job application? Hm? I’m rather miffed about that.

  36. Who really cares where an egotistical high school child plans on attending college. We’ve really misplaced our values.

  37. NFL = Not For Long

    You’re in the game until you aren’t. I don’t think very much of the NFL Network should have a whole lot of anything to do with where college players decide where they will or won’t play.

  40. You kind of always knew andrew luck would be terrible in the NFL because he was never really ranked or good in high school. That and never beating oregon. ever.

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