[97fan]

Whitlock is a talented columnist, and he obviously has strong opinions about the NCAA (which I generally agree with). But he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a preconceived storyline, which is why he served up a boatload of softball questions when he had the chance to interview Lyles. At that point he saw Lyles as the fall guy, beset by powerful forces, and portrayed him sympathetically. Now that Lyles has told a different story - exposing a self-interested side of himself that should have obvious to Whitlock from the start - Whitlock feels betrayed. And so he lashes out at the guy.

Also, I'm not sure why he's going after the Yahoo! reporters. They're just in it for the glory, he suggests, and couldn't care less about LaMichael James or Lache Seastrunk. And sure, on some level there's something to that. But journalism is supposed to be about truth-telling, and the Yahoo! guys get that. Based on the audio of his interview with Lyles, I'm not sure that Whitlock sees truth-telling as his role.

[97fan]

Whitlock is a talented columnist, and he obviously has strong opinions about the NCAA (which I generally agree with). But he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a preconceived storyline, which is why he served up a boatload of softball questions when he had the chance to interview Lyles. At that point he saw Lyles as the fall guy, beset by powerful forces, and portrayed him sympathetically. Now that Lyles has told a different story - exposing a self-interested side of himself that should have obvious to Whitlock from the start - Whitlock feels betrayed. And so he lashes out at the guy.

Also, I'm not sure why he's going after the Yahoo! reporters. They're just in it for the glory, he suggests, and couldn't care less about LaMichael James or Lache Seastrunk. And sure, on some level there's something to that. But journalism is supposed to be about truth-telling, and the Yahoo! guys get that. Based on the audio of his interview with Lyles, I'm not sure that Whitlock sees truth-telling as his role.