FanPost

An Open Letter to Phil Mushnick of the New York Post

August 21, 2014

Phil Mushnick

New York Post

Delivered via email

Dear Mr. Mushnick,

Please accept my most heartfelt thanks. Today I noticed while perusing a reputable and newsworthy source, The Chicago Tribune, that on August 16, 2014, you made the following statements about the "miscreant" as you call him, Brandon Marshall:

Showtime’s ‘Inside’ taps miscreant

Rinse, lather, repeat: Since his rookie year with the Broncos in 2006, talented WR Brandon Marshall, now with the Bears, has relentlessly coveted and won extra on-field TV attention through unsportsmanlike, me-first, excessive demonstrations, not to mention extra off-field attention. Frequently arrested, he eventually earned a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal code of conduct.

And that must explain why of all the active NFL players that Showtime/CBS’ "Inside the NFL" could this year choose as a regular player/panelist/analyst, the shot-callers chose Brandon Marshall.

I next found the original column in your Murdochian periodical, the New York Post, because I wanted to confirm that you were in no way being misquoted as can easily happen from time to time in the media. And, as you know, you were not being misquoted. Instead, it was apparent that this blurb of "news" flowed from the fingers of Phil Mushnick as it espoused the journalistic quality of a person who has mastered complete sentences; name calling; and the ability to right click, hover the cursor over "Synonyms," and chose a fancier word with even more syllables.

It is most definitely worth repeating: Thank You. Thank you for taking the time to label Brandon Marshall a "miscreant," which is more fully described as "a person who behaves badly." By expending energy on a story that consisted of almost two whole paragraphs (I’ll give you the second one, although it is really just one sentence), you were able to take a break from presenting to the world the type of articles and blog entries that both of your readers have come to know.

For example, you were forced to take a break from racial slandering of people associated with the Brooklyn Nets as you did previously. You did not have time to echo your May article comparing the treatment of Donald Sterling as a lynching, a statement that is as depressing as it is inaccurate. Finally, you had less availability to respond to accurate criticism from a reader named Iain with the kind of letter you sent him in 2007, which replied, "Shouldn’t you be out shooting up a college campus, or something?" I enjoy dark humor, but that line is just simply not funny, and it was exponentially less funny because you said it six days after the Virginia Tech shooting. In short, you had little time to continue behaving badly or like, by definition, a miscreant.

Instead, you chose to target a man who has had no on-field or off-field issues for his entire stent as a Chicago Bear, who has been open and honest about his past, and who has been open and honest about his mental health issues. I’m also grateful that you emphasized and shined a light on Brand Marshall’s seeming desire, if not need, to have attention. It seems like everywhere I read, the man is asking people to look at him – mainly so that he can help educate them on mental health issues, raise money for mental health awareness, or provide assistance to those afflicted with mental health. What a miscreant, right?

When he isn’t getting attention by wearing lime green shoes (for which he gladly paid the $10,500 fine because it raised both awareness and the conversation level for mental health), he’s busy taking young athletes and other Chicago Bear wide receivers under his wing to help mentor them, to be open about making mistakes, and to make them better players and men. My God, what a miscreant. If only he could have mentored Marquess Wilson to watch his clavicle a couple weeks ago.

Mainly, however, I’m thankful that you targeted Brandon Marshall because, more than anything, I’m sure he can take it. I’ve never met the man and do not know him personally, but I have a feeling that he can take the venom you hap hazardously spew more than most of your other targets. If he can survive mental health, lining up against Peanut Tillman, and having to play two years for the Dolphins, I think he can survive you. What a miscreant.

Sincerely,

Myron A. Rahn III


This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.