We Should Probably Stop Listening to John Frascella
I hate to dunk on someone who’s trying to ingratiate themselves as a proper insider in sports; I’m all for supporting individuals who want to break into the world of sports media. Hell, that’s kinda my goal one day - although I constantly make it a point to tell my audience: “Hey, I’m not a fuckin’ insider. I don’t have sources. I’m just a fanatic that reacts to news as it happens.” But, this guy, John Frascella, keeps popping up everywhere claiming to have these uber-credible sources, and twisting basic ass, well-known and documented information, and adding his own spin to it trying to boost his own credibility. And, it’s failing. Miserably.
As it pertains to the Steelers, this became a big talking point last Monday (August 8th, 2024), when Frascella posted on twitter/x, essentially claiming that Tomlin and the Steelers didn’t keep an open dialogue with Pickett during the QB drama earlier this offseason that led to the Russell Wilson signing. In his post, he claims that the Steelers pulled a deal with Rudolph off the table, and guaranteed the starting job to Russell Wilson, which is why Kenny Pickett requested a trade.
Look, there’s a whole lot of information out there to the contrary, most notably, Mike Tomlin’s own words earlier this offseason. Frascella has been dragged by fans and analysts alike for this take. As a longtime fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I can say, with a great deal of certainty, the Steelers don’t operate in absolutes. Say what you want about Big Ben Roethlisberger’s play during his last few years with the team, but if you consider the QB play we’ve seen from this team over the last two seasons, you can’t look at me with a straight face and say you would’ve been upset about another year or two of Ben under center. But, the Steelers didn’t want him anymore, despite his desire to return to the team. He has said as much on his own podcast. He knew his time with the team was up. They gave up on THAT GUY who took the team to three Super Bowls and is probably the greatest QB in the history of the franchise. So, this idea that, at 35 years of age, Russell Wilson is going to come in, year one with the team, and the Steelers are going to be beholden to him is absurd and ridiculous. I have no issue with John Frascella, but that fake ass “exclusive” report was strike one for me.
Later that week, on Sunday (April 14th, 2024), Frascella shared another post in which he detailed how his “sources” told him that 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk had officially requested a trade, adding that the Steelers and Ravens are among the teams pursuing him the most aggressively. Shortly after this post went viral, Aiyuk’s agent, Ryan Williams, put those rumors to bed, responding to the post saying: “You need better sources.”
This exchange solidifies my original point. Frascella likes to take well-known information, like the fact that Brandon Aiyuk wants to be traded, and acts like he has these incredible sources that can confirm that a trade is imminent. As for the Ravens and Steelers being the teams pursuing him the most aggressively: DUH. If he didn’t want to get dunked on by Aiyuk’s agent, he should’ve just posted: “BREAKING NEWS: Two teams that are thin at WR are inquiring about Brandon Aiyuk, per my sources.”
He has doubled down on his post since the agent’s response, but he’s not breaking any news here. Everyone that follows the NFL is well aware of the drama between Aiyuk and the 49ers. His attempt to capitalize on it was a failed experiment, and was strike two for me. I’m not going to get caught looking at strike three. Let’s just stop listening to this guy going forward, agreed?
Follow me on twitter/x: @jay_newm
Subscribe to receive email updates about new posts and follow me on socials!
