ABC Suspends Reporter for Inaccurate Report on Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash: TRAINA THOUGHTS

ABC's Matt Gutman suspended for inaccurately reporting all of Kobe Bryant's daughters were on helicopter

1. One of the things that made Sunday afternoon even more horrific was misinformation that spread across social media regarding the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other people.

I wrote about this in Monday's Traina Thoughts and briefly mentioned an ABC News report, which was also seen on ESPN, from Matt Gutman that stated all four of Bryant's daughters were on the helicopter.

Naturally, people were very angry about ABC putting out this completely false report, and rightfully so.

On Wednesday, the network suspended Gutman over the erroneous report. 

"Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism,” an ABC News representative said to the L.A. Times. “As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”

When it was revealed that Gutman's information was inaccurate, many people wanted Gutman fired because that's what we do in this day and age.

Personally, I hate that we now automatically jump to "this person must be fired" when they make a mistake. Obviously, this is an extreme situation and Gutman has to be triple sure that the information he's giving on the air in a case like this is 100% accurate. 

But what's gotten completely distorted in this era of liars screaming "fake news" every time they get exposed, is that there is a difference between getting something wrong and making something up.

If Gutman made up the information, yes, he should be fired immediately. If he got it wrong because he had bad sources or didn't vet his information properly, then he should be suspended. 

One thing that could've helped Gutman generate some sympathy, though, was an apology that was a little more sincere than the robotic one he tweeted and offered on air.

Today I inaccurately reported it was believed that four of Kobe Bryant’s children were on board that flight. That is incorrect. I apologize to Kobe’s family, friends and our viewers. pic.twitter.com/yYwuB9vpZl

— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) January 27, 2020

To me, that's just a "check off the boxes" apology that doesn't properly acknowledge just how awful of a mistake Gutman made and didn't help his cause at all. An explanation of how he botched something so important would've been helpful, too.

ABC made the right call here and had no other choice.

2. Richard Sherman openly bashed the NFL's desire to go to a 17-game regular-season schedule. 

“[The NFL] pretends they’re interested in player safety.”

Richard Sherman blasts hypocrisy of NFL pushing for 17-game schedule. #49ers #SuperBowlLIV https://t.co/wem79J39ah

— Wells Dusenbury (@DuseReport) January 30, 2020

This morning, he then provided some fodder for people who like conspiracy theories.

So a Random PED and Blood test two weeks in a row?! I gotta go play the lottery I must be the most lucky man in the world.

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 30, 2020

I wonder how many other player have to get blood taken before the Super Bowl. Probably a very exclusive fraternity

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 30, 2020

3. The Astros sign-stealing scandal went to another level Wednesday thanks to a Houston fan.

I’m an Astros fan. To understand the scope of the Astros cheating & the players involved, I logged every trashcan bang from every Astros 2017 home game w/ video available. Over 8,200 pitches watched and over 1,100 trashcan bangs found. The results are at https://t.co/kVtisgUo74.

— Tony Adams (@adams_at) January 29, 2020

Over at his website, SignStealingScandal.com, Adams, says, "I’m an Astros fan. They cheated during the 2017 regular season—the evidence is clear. In an attempt to understand the scope of the cheating and the players involved, I decided to listen to every pitch from the Astros’ 2017 home games and log any banging noise I could detect. These are the results of my efforts. I’ve logged over 8,200 pitches and found banging before over 1,100 of those pitches."

Check out the site and Adams' Twitter feed for all of the breakdowns of how and when the Astros banged their trash cans.

4. ESPN's Tim Legler was heated Wednesday night after the Grizzlies were playing aggressive basketball in the closing minutes of a blowout win against the Knicks.

My take on the hostilities tonight bw @nyknicks and @memgrizz. What the hell was @CJC9BOSS thinking? Seriously. And if someone says “play til the final buzzer” then I know they have never played 🏀 at any level. 18 point lead? :50 left? Stealing the inbounds? Shooting a 3? 😂😂

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

I’ve always respected @CJC9BOSS and that’s why I’m telling all of you if he were on the losing team in that situation he would be the first one to retaliate against a guy stealing the ball in the back court and shooting a 3 with an 18 point lead under a minute to go! Guaranteed!

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

People making me laugh as if I care about @nyknicks. Zero allegiance. Never played there. Don’t talk about them on the air EVER 😂 it wouldn’t matter who the team or player is... the other team is going to respond.

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

where I’m coming from- I DO NOT believe there is such a thing as “running up the score” in high major college or professional basketball. I HATE when teams take a shot clock violation late in a game to avoid scoring when the outcome is decided. It’s actually more humiliating

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

But this is different. NBA teams respect end of game culture. I wouldn’t care at all if they steal the ball once it’s advanced. That’s not what we are talking about. The reaction here is typical fan bias. Love it if it’s us... take him out if it’s them. I get it.

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

This Just gets better!! People acting like the game was in doubt!! 😂😂😂😂 18 point lead, under a minute to go. Do the Knicks have T-Mac?? I musta missed that signing

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

To those acting like the @memgrizz vs @nyknicks game was still in doubt, thus justifying a back court steal up 18 with :50 secs left 😂😂😂... Since the NBA started tracking it in 1996, NO TEAM HAS EVER COME BACK DOWN 18 UNDER TWO MINUTES TO GO!! this one had :50 seconds left

— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) January 30, 2020

Memphis' Jae Crowder offered a ridiculous response to Legler, accusing him of being a Knicks fan. Legler, who great up in Washington, D.C., and went to college at La Salle,  played for seven teams during his NBA career. The Knicks were not one of them.

AYE TIM WITH ALL DUE RESPECT I ONLY PLAY ONE WAY AND THATS HARD TIL THE BUZZER SOUNDS. IM SORRY IF IT DISGUSTS YOU. I KNOW KNICKS ARE YOUR TEAM BUT U SHOULD TELL THEM TO PLAY HARDER AND LESS TALKING.! 🤷🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/fIRXKBGJmK

— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 30, 2020

5. This week's SI Media Podcast features an interview with play-by-play man Kevin Harlan.

Harlan shared memories of Kobe Bryant and talked about what it was like to call games throughout Kobe's career.

The second half of the podcast focuses on Harlan calling Super Bowl LIV this Sunday for Westwood One Radio. It will be Harlan's 10th straight season calling the Super Bowl and he discusses his prep for the game, the audience he's serving and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Jimmy Kimmel turned "die-hard" Niners fans into Chiefs fans with very little effort in this bit.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.