ESPN’s Adam Schefter called out by ex-colleague over Michael Vick report in petty online spat
One current and one former ESPN personality found themselves in a social media tiff over a disputed report about Michael Vick and the head-coaching vacancy at Sacramento State.
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the school is ‘is in discussions to hire’ the first pick of the 2001 draft to become Sac State’s next football coach as the program moves from the lower rung of Division I, FCS, to the top level, FBS.
What’s more, Schefter reported, is the Hornets are sitting on a $50 million fortune in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) funds, which could ‘strengthen the school’s case for an invitation to the PAC-12 or Mountain West conference.’
But Doug Gottlieb, a former ESPN college basketball analyst and current men’s hoops coach at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, wasn’t buying it.
‘Jeezus Shefty, edit what agents tell you,’ Gottlieb wrote on X. ‘0.0% chance Sac State has $50m in NIL.’
The NCAA lifted bans on endorsement deals for student athletes in 2021. Since then, ‘NIL’ has become shorthand for money players receive from groups of boosters known as ‘collectives,’ who work to entice recruits to attend a particular college.
Adam Schefter reported the school is ‘is in discussions to hire’ the first pick of the 2001 draft to become Sac State’s next football coach, but Doug Gottlieb was skeptical about the NIL funds
Former ESPN analyst and current Green Bay Phoenix head coach Doug Gottlieb (right) is at odds with the Worldwide Leader’s NFL insider, Adam Schefter (left)
Michael Vick does not have any coaching experience at any level, but that could change
The largest collectives in the country can have tens of millions at their disposal. At Oregon, where Nike founder Phil Knight is an alum and massive donor, the Ducks’ collective has a $23 million budget for football recruits, which could help explain why they’re undefeated and the top-ranked team in the country.
So Gottlieb and several other college sports insiders were understandably skeptical about Schefter’s report.
‘This is going to come across as me fact-checking a former colleague, and I’m sorry for that because I love Adam, but I am literally friends with Sac State’s former head coach and they do not even have $1 million in NIL money, much less $50 million,’ former ESPN reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg wrote on X.
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel added: ‘Sac State does not have anything close to $50 million (2.5 X Ohio State’s roster) in NIL money.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to a Sacramento State football spokesperson for clarification on the confusion.
But the social media spat didn’t end there. Schefter immediately doubled down on his reporting on the school collective, known as the ‘SAC-12.’
‘The SAC-12 leading the [school’s] NIL efforts already announced it has reached its initial goal of raising $50 million in NIL funds to strengthen the school’s case for an invitation to the PAC-12 or Mountain West conference,’ Schefter wrote on X.
Doug Gottlieb is currently coaching the last-place Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix
Many fans descended on Gottlieb after Schefter landed a remark about WGB’s record
Then Schefter took aim at Gottlieb, who continues to work in sports media despite being the head coach at a Division I basketball program.
‘And Jeezus, Doug,’ Schefter continued. ‘A seven-game losing steak (sic) and last place in the Horizon League? Less time on social media and more time in the gym.’
To prove his point, Schefter included a grab of the Horizon League standings showing Gottlieb’s Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix in last place.
ESPN’s Kevin Clark followed with a quick, ‘hell yeah adam,’ while others piled on with other jokes at Gottlieb’s expense.
[NFL commissioner Roger] Goodell about to put Schefter on the Commissioner’s Exempt list after that assault,’ one fan wrote.
Former ESPN soccer analyst Taylor Twellman added an emoji fist in solidarity amid of torrent of memes from other followers.
As for Vick, it remains unclear if he’s taking the Sacramento State job as he’s also been connected to the opening at Norfolk State in his native Virginia.
We do know that Sacramento State president Luke Wood has confirmed a meeting.
‘He has expressed interest in the position and yes I did meet with him about his interest in Sac State football and our athletic rise,’ Wood told ESPN. ‘As you can imagine, given the success of our athletic programs that our football head coach job is an attractive role.’
Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho got in on the fun with a Mortal Kombat meme
Sacramento State was just 3-9 last season under head coach Andy Thompson, who has since left the program to take an assistant position at Stanford. Previously, in 2022, Sacramento state was 12-1.
Vick does not have any coaching experience at any level. He was slated to be the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in the short-lived spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, but was demoted to being an analyst before the season started.
In college with Virginia Tech, Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 BCS National Championship game where they lost 46-29 to the Florida State Seminoles.
He was selected first overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and instantly became star, earning Pro Bowl recognition in 2002, 2004, and 2005.
But his entire career came to a screeching halt in 2007, when investigators uncovered evidence that an unlawful dog fighting ring was being run at a property Vick owned in Virginia. He pled guilty to federal charges and spent 21 months in federal prison.
Hours after pleading guilty, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and released by the Falcons.
A free agent, Vick signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in August of 2009 at the suggestion of Philly’s then-starter, Donovan McNabb. He retired in 2015 after stints with the Jets and Steelers.
