Defending the Indefensible? Deshaun Watson, In-House Reporting, and the Shifting Values of Sports Journalism

Abstract: In spring 2021, then–Houston Texans Quarterback Deshaun Watson was accused of sexual misconduct by 24 women he had hired to perform massages. This study focuses on the increased role of team-run in-house media to shape narratives surrounding transgression allegations levied against athletes. In an initial pilot study, news articles about Watson were textually analyzed ( N = 36) to examine in-house media coverage of the transgressions. Using qualitative interviews with 12 in-house reporters representing 12 NFL teams, the study unpacked how these individuals perceived their shifting news values as journalists and whether they saw Watson as a potential reputational challenge for larger stakeholders, such as their employer and the NFL. The team media ecosystem appeared to prioritize the protection of stakeholder interests within the organization over potential ethical quandaries of in-house journalists. For most in-house entities, a ubiquitous tactic of avoiding discussion of the allegations was employed to protect the NFL brand.