On this weeks episode of Funky Friday, Cam Newton sits down with NFL Journalist, Adam Schefter. The two talk candidly about their first meeting and how important the role of journalist is to sports. Schefter joined the NFL Network in 2004 and appeared on NFL Total Access and also wrote for NFL.com. Before joining the NFL Network, Schefter appeared five times on ESPN's Around the Horn as a substitute for Woody Paige. Paige was based in Denver at the time. Before Around the Horn, Schefter appeared on ESPN's The Sports Reporters. Schefter appeared on NBC twice in the summer of 2008, working as the sideline reporter for Al Michaels and John Madden during the Redskins–Colts Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and then the Redskins–Jaguars preseason finale. According to a USA Today survey of fans published January 19, 2009, "NFL Network's Adam Schefter edged ESPN's Chris Mortensen (34%–32%) for best (NFL) insider despite the NFL Network being in less than half as many U.S. households." Schefter was again selected as the best (NFL) insider in a November 2010 USA Today fan poll.[4] Schefter was voted USA Today's best "insider" for a third straight year in November 2011. In 2009, Schefter became a football analyst with ESPN.[5] Pierre-Paul sued Schefter and ESPN for breach of privacy in February of 2016.[10] In February of 2017, Pierre-Paul and ESPN settled the lawsuit In November 2015, Schefter was named The Cynopsis Sports Media Personality of the Year, which is presented annually to an individual whose work in the sports industry has transcended how sports connect with fans. In the same year, he was named honorable mention for Sports Illustrated Now's 2015 Media Person of the Year,[12] and 2015 Sports Media Personality of the Year by the Tampa Bay Times. In January 2017, Schefter accepted an unpaid position on the advisory board of the Pacific Pro Football League.[14] Soon afterward, he stepped down to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest.[15] Schefter joined the NBA on ESPN team for multiple games as a sideline reporter in 2017. His first assignment was February 15 between the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. ESPN presented Schefter with the opportunity to work select NBA games as part of his new contract. In February 2017, ESPN Audio launched Schefter's "Know Them From Adam"[17] podcast, featuring long-form conversations with newsmakers who have a connection to football. He is also an annual "NFL Combine Football Career Conference" speaker for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide, founded and run by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook.[18] In June 2021, an email Schefter sent to Bruce Allen (then the general manager of the Washington Redskins) was filed as an exhibit in federal court as part of a defamation suit by Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder against an Indian media company. The message included a draft of an unpublished article about the 2011 NFL lockout which Schefter asked Allen to review and suggest changes to, and referred to Allen as "Mr. Editor".[20] In response, Schefter stated that checking information with sources is a widespread practice.[21] However, according to Joe Rivera of Sporting News, allowing a source to review an entire piece is a significant breach of journalistic ethics.[22] Schefter's actions were also criticized by writer and former ESPN host Jemele Hill. Later, Schefter issued a statement through ESPN which stated that while he did not give editorial control over the story to Allen, sending it to him had been a mistake.[23] In 2022, Schefter was criticized for his initial report on Twitter about Dwayne Haskins' death, which many found to be insensitive as it mentioned his struggles in the NFL. Schefter later deleted the tweet and replaced it with a video tribute, as well as issuing an apology.

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