Just some points to ponder.
Moc01,
I agree with you that Senator Byrd is an embarassment to West Virgina. There is no questions on that. The people who have elected that Democrat should have their heads examined.
But just because the people in West Virginia are ignorant does not mean the administrators at Oklahoma should be too. But you point is well taken about the fairness of the two situations.
Dad04,
I'm with you 100 percent.
Catfish,
Thank you for you comments. This thread has been very educational for me to see different people opinions without any trash talking. Each opinion, such as the two gentlemen above has been well thought out .
Finally, as a former reporter I will say that unless I and the other person both state that a comment or interview is off the record then it is on the record - simple as that.
A good reporter will know when to use comments like that.
In this case he spoke like to to each of the announcers separately and they happened to compare notes later. At that time ESPN called the school as a courtesy before they ran the story. I see nothing wrong with the way ESPN handled themselves as media members.
Remember, when talking to a reporter you are always on the record unless you both go off the record. If I tell a reporter something os off the record and he does not agree than everything is on the record.