On Friday I interviewed EliteXC head of fight operations Jeremy Lappen, and pointed out to him that he had seemed to contradict himself about whether or not EliteXC offered Seth Petruzelli a submission bonus.Lappen was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying that EliteXC does not give submission bonuses, while he was quoted by ESPN as saying that Petruzelli was offered a submission bonus. Lappen told me that both stories misquoted him.
Today the writer of the Sports Illustrated piece in question, Josh Gross, told me flatly, "I stand by my reporting. I did not misquote Jeremy Lappen." Indeed, Gross played for me a portion of his recorded interview with Lappen, in which Lappen says to him that Petruzelli was given "Just a knockout bonus. We don't give submission bonuses."
I have read a great deal of Gross's work, and I have read a great deal of the work of Franklin McNeil, who wrote the ESPN piece in question. I do not believe either one of them would misquote a source.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MDS, what about "giving Seth a bonus before the fight started?" Did he say it like that? Is it possible that he didn't mean to quote it like he said it? Thanks.
Drew, Lappen told me, "We gave Seth a knockout bonus before the fight started. That was part of the deal."
What I think he meant was that the deal was agreed to before the fight, not that Petruzelli actually got the bonus before the fight.