Dan Patrick Calls Out Rick Reilly, Colin Cowherd For “Piling On” Jimmer Fredette: “Blame Yourself, Blame Your Network”

by Dan Fogarty | 2:42 pm, March 28th, 2011

ESPN.com Columnist Rick Reilly ripped BYU star Jimmer Fredette in an online piece last week, and said Fredette has “a really good chance to be your Provo area Isuzu dealer.” ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd, meanwhile, said on his radio show on Friday that Fredette is “90% media creation.”

This did not sit well with Fox Sports Radio host and Sports Illustrated senior writer Dan Patrick.

Patrick called out Reilly and Cowherd this morning on his radio show, in a spirited monologue that took shots at his fellow media personalities, as well as ESPN as a whole.

On Reilly’s criticism that Fredette has “YMCA hops,” Patrick said:

“If you’re going to cut and paste the ‘white guy’ reference, at least be accurate. His vertical is 36. Ask anybody who’s played the game. You give me a 36-inch vertical, I’ll take my chances.”

On Cowherd’s “media creation” comments:

“Colin: 10% talent, 90% sensation? Look at your own network. You created that. Now you’ll take shots at him?”

Later, Patrick spoke further about his problems with Reilly’s column, and ESPN’s role in the Jimmer overcoverage. He also challenged Reilly to come on his show. Here’s video of (some of) Patrick’s comments, via Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic:

[@sportsfrog, Dan Patrick Show]

Anonymous

Thank you! Thank you! Dan Patrick is the only one who seems to make sense!
Jbeast27

DP is the man. ESPN is filled with a bunch of yes-man posers (e/x SVP).
savethewest

Thanks Dan Patrick. I have enjoyed this college basketball season and madness because of the unpredictability of the college game. Jimmer and the pizza boys were fun while they lasted. Everyone of the top college teams but one will end their season with a loss. Why call out a young man who has been the face of college ball this year. Whats not to like about a guy who you would be proud to call a friend, neighbor, or classmate. So he lost a game in overtime. Maybe he won’t make us forget Magic, Bird, or Jordan in the NBA. I liked him because he made me remember Pistle Pete, Bobby Hurley, Earvin Johnson, Elvin Hays, and all the other great college stars. Thanks Dan for sticking up for a guy who brought a smile to my face every time I saw him play.
http://firerickreilly.com/ Tapps

Truly, the “Jimmer can’t cut it” thing with Reilly is mystifying. But it’s just one more in a line of shoddy work by him. He clearly had never seen Fredette play before that game, and makes all sorts of judgments on one “bad” game…a game in which he scored 32 points and took it to OT against a Florida team that was focused solely on Jimmer.

Seems like hate designed for page views. You know, “everybody loves this guy, so I’ll bash him.” Which is fine if you make good and logical points, not the tripe these two have spread.

Tapps
http://firerickreilly.com
Anonymous

THANK YOU Dan Patrick for calling these a**holes out!
Anonymous

Dan Patrick, you have a new fan, right here.
Anonymous

Dan Patrick, you have a new fan, right here.
Gera

Dan Patrick is so overrated, he needs to get over his hatred for ESPN, it creates such a negative energy
Anonymous

You need a hug…
Scottfromredmond

Dan is right on. Jimmer had a great season. His team was one point away from advancing to the Elite Eight. I don’t know the kid, but from the interviews I heard he sounded like a kid with a good head on his shoulders.

O’Reilly’s writing was ignorant and lazy. Even worse, he exposed himself as a jerk.
Seth Iorg

Love it Dan, I’m always up for a good old fashioned media call-out. I see Jimmer as another Kyle Korver in the league. Whoever drafts him, the fans will be pumped.
http://twitter.com/RHS76 Romelle Slaughter II

Reilly, Cowherd, and others had every opportunity to talk about Jimmer’s game during the season. For Reilly to wait “minutes” after BYU loses to Florida, in overtime, to rip the kid, his game, and his team, was a bush-league move. He’s entitled to his opinion, but to do it right after the game shows that Reilly has gotten lazy and isn’t prone to do his homework anymore, unless if it’s at Augusta next week.
http://twitter.com/RHS76 Romelle Slaughter II

Reilly, Cowherd, and others had every opportunity to talk about Jimmer’s game during the season. For Reilly to wait “minutes” after BYU loses to Florida, in overtime, to rip the kid, his game, and his team, was a bush-league move. He’s entitled to his opinion, but to do it right after the game shows that Reilly has gotten lazy and isn’t prone to do his homework anymore, unless if it’s at Augusta next week.
http://twitter.com/olsonfilms Olson Films

Yes, a hug would suite you quite well.
http://twitter.com/olsonfilms Olson Films

Yes, a hug would suite you quite well.
Jbeast27

Strange. I’ve always thought that DP was very respectful of ESPN. This was the most he has called them out that I can remember and it was a strong argument. Does Gera work for ESPN?
Goingplaces

Rick Reilly seems to have an agenda against BYU. I recall an article he wrote in the early 2000′s when BYU’s football team was undefeated late in the season. Reilly blasted BYU for having an unfair advantage because many of its players are slightly older because they served church missions. Really? Taking two years away from your sport gives you an unfair advantage? It takes at least a year to regain your skills and get in shape again. If given a choice, no coach in America would allow a kid to leave for a two-year mission. But Reilly seems to have something against the Mormon religion. Keep your sports writing about sports, Reilly. Thank you Dan Patrick for saying what I think.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3OJDOVB6TQJOIY3WNDFD2SSRYA Sam Simpson

You got that right Gera. Dan Patrick has so much hatred for ESPN that he has to diss them everyday on his show, which is why is own show is so terrible. I think he should go retire in the mountains somewhere and get a grip with this ESPN hatred.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3OJDOVB6TQJOIY3WNDFD2SSRYA Sam Simpson

Also, DP is truly overrated.
bamfordayssss

Thank youuu Dan Patrick Thank youuu!!! someone who actually knows what they talkin about
694Lifee

Hella Dan Patrick!!! He knows his stuff!!
Billybackribs

Have you ever listened to the DP show?
Truthsayer

Rick Reilly, you really need a better alias than Sam Simpson. Poser.
Chaudock

he’s getting better rating than the opposing colin cowherd show…he’s doin something right
2132cbutle

Suprise! A Colorado University Alumni and a Washington Husky life-time fan take cheap shots at a BYU athlete! Not the first time, and not the last time it will happen!
amosiii

does anyone have the full recording? I was really getting into it…
footballfreak

Yeah… Defending someone is definitely negative… Read Rick Reilly, he’s teh negative jerk that obviously has a bias against byu and mormons. He wrote and article in 2001 saying that BYU doesn’t show christianity because our athletes are older after serving missions (which by the way are without pay, holding off colelge and ALL sports just to serve a bunch of people they don’t know, yeah super unchristian huh?). It’s not like they are taking two years off and working out a ton and getting super good at sports. That bias has carried over to Jimmer, and the one time he has a bad shooting game his article comes out. Forget that he brought a team to the Sweet 16 that probably shouldn’t have made it without their starting Center. Forget that he destroyed SDSU twice this season (Another sweet 16 team). Forget that he manhandled a very good Arizona team this year and last. Forget that he averaged +30 in conference play. Forget that he had a monster 52 points game against New Mexico. Dan is not negative, he’s sticking up for a good guy and a great college basketball legend.
Anonymous

Fredette. The great white hope?
BYU / Mormon / Glenn Beck: The KKK was cheering right thru overtime.
Still, can he make it in the bigs? I’d like to see it.
Iwishyouweresmart

I like both Patrick AND Cowherd. Don’t really care much either way about Reilly. One thing must be said in Cowherd’s defense, though–he is in no way responsible for how the rest of ESPN covers Jimmer. That’s not a fair criticism. How exactly is Colin supposed to stop his employer from covering Jimmer? When Dan worked for ESPN, was he responsible for everything every ESPN employee said? Now that he’s involved with SI and Fox Sports, is he responsible for all of their coverage? What about Fox News–does Dan have to answer for everything they say, too? Colin said he didn’t agree with the rest of ESPN’s over-coverage of Jimmer, but is he supposed to resign because of it?