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.
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