Johnny Damon’s name appeared on that bogus list early Thursday that we at RAB refused to publish. On Friday, he lashed out at those who printed the list, and as you could guess, he wasn’t happy.
The Post has more from Damon:
“It sucks, I am wondering if there is any legal course to turn to,” Damon said. “I walk around with my shirt off. If I had anything to hide I wouldn’t do that. I really don’t know what to say. There seems to be some people who don’t like me…
“I asked my agent about legal action, but he said it wasn’t worth it. Maybe the president [of NBC] will write me a nice letter.”
Jonathan Dienst, the NBC reporter who printed the list, defended the decision and apologized to Damon. “We work very, very hard to get these stories right,” Dienst said to George King and Samuel Goldsmith. “We checked it and rechecked it, but what we were provided from two different places was an incorrect list, and I am very sorry for the mistake.”
Let this be a lesson to journalists and bloggers. People send e-mails from unverified sources, and in this age of blogs, it’s very easy to destroy someone’s reputation through incredibly false information. It’s better to be right than it is to be first. This is especially true when it comes to something as serious as steroid accusations. I hope Damon, Albert Pujols and the other 39 players named on that list get the apology they deserve. I won’t hold my breath though.
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