In February ESPN finalized a historic merger with the NFL in a $3 million deal that saw the network acquire NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL Fantasy, giving the league a 10% stake in the network in return. This led to a lot of questions about the network’s credibility after the merger. Now even, ESPN’s senior journalist, Michael Wilbon, has sparked the questions once again.

Wilbon, who has worked with the network for 25 years (since 2001), appeared on Awful Announcing’s podcast and was asked by host Brandon Contes whether fans can trust ESPN’s NFL reporting after the merger.

“My answer to that philosophically is trust,” Wilbon said. “I wouldn’t go as far as can’t not trust; view skeptically – okay. But because I know the people reporting on the NFL for years, I know how good they are. I know how thorough they are. They cover that as thoroughly as you know we’ve covered anything…

“I know how good Adam Schefter is. Do I trust Adam Schefter? You damn right I do. Would I encourage other people to trust him? You damn right I would. So, does that mean that Adam’s credibility is automatically extended to everything the network does? I don’t know. I think that is philosophically what you’re asking, and it’s a fair question.”

These questions have also followed ESPN’s investigative journalist Don Van Natta Jr, who, in turn, has pointed to his recent investigations inside the NFLPA as proof that ESPN is still all about authenticity and credibility. As for Michael Wilbon, he took it a step further, adding a question from his own side.

“I’ll add one. I’d make the bosses angry with this,” Wilbon said. “Do you want to trust an entity that partners with gambling houses? What happens when you walk in a baseball clubhouse? No gambling allowed. What do you think got Pete Rose in trouble? What do you think for the 1919 White Sox banned? No gambling allowed. And yet, ESPN and Fox and CBS, NBC, they do this. We know why they do it. But we don’t blame anybody else that gets involved with this, but not us. We make too much money from it.

“How does that affect you now? I think it’s an awfully cynical viewer. And I don’t think there are that many viewers that examine it that closely, Brandon. I don’t. I do because I grew up in it. You do this for a living. We look critically at media. But again, I trust the people. We got an army of people out there covering the NFL. I know a lot of them. I knew a lot of them before they ever worked for ESPN. And they bring that credibility every day.”

Wilbon then points to himself being a trustee and a board member of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications. He notes that the preparations the students undergo there are still very thorough in order to prep them for the media landscape.

Michael Wilbon, a man who has covered the sporting world since 1980, has built quite a reputation for himself. That platform has only grown bigger since he came to ESPN 25 years ago.

While Wilbon stands behind his Network, his comments put the network on the spot. ESPN has already taken an axe to its roster recently, cutting anyone who wouldn’t align with its vision for 2026 and beyond. Wilbon’s comments land in the middle of everything and might just upset the network’s top management, putting his own future in jeopardy in the process. However, the philosophical questions he raised aren’t going away anytime soon.