Mike Shanahan has suffered his share of fools during his 13 years as Broncos coach.
Under no circumstances, however, will Shanahan tolerate a Yahoo.
Incensed by a Yahoo! Sports report he once hired spies to tape practices of the San Diego Chargers several years ago, Shanahan not only denied allegations but demanded a retraction.
Yahoo! did just that Tuesday evening, eliminating in its entirety the reference to Shanahan’s alleged spying incident.
Wrote a Yahoo! editor: “We have eliminated a paragraph that, upon review, does not meet the editorial standards of Yahoo! Sports. We took immediate action to eliminate the content from our site as soon as we became aware of this matter.”
That Yahoo! made clear it took “immediate action” indicates they felt threatened by a potential defamation lawsuit from Shanahan. It’s not clear whether the redacted reference will satisfy Shanahan.
“We’re pleased Yahoo acknowledged that coach Shanahan did not engage in any improper conduct,” said Shanahan’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg. “We think this is a first step in trying to eliminate their wrong doing.”
The Yahoo! report was originally published in September, but re-posted by the website on Feb. 23. The Yahoo! story initially drew little response, but became more sensational when re-published because it followed the Spygate II controversy that claimed the New England Patriots illegally taped the St. Louis Rams” walkthrough on the eve of Super Bowl XXXVI.
The most condemning aspect of the initial Yahoo! story regarding Shanahan was that an NFL source claimed the league had seen the Broncos” illegal film of the Chargers” practice but decided against investigating the incident.
The league has since denounced the report.
Beyond irate, Shanahan brought in Steinberg, who a few months earlier had won a landmark case against Roger Goodell and the NFL by getting Travis Henry cleared of a positive marijuana test that would have brought a one-year suspension to the running back.
“There was absolutely no basis or foundation for the allegations contained in the article,” Steinberg said of the Yahoo! spying report. “There was no attribution as to the source because we don’t believe there was a legitimate source that could have put a light on those allegations. I’ve been advised by the highest levels of the NFL that there’s never been a viewing of the tape, knowledge of the tape, or a suggestion that the tape exists.”
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
