Legendary LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL columnist Norm Clarke related his professional and personal experience with Jay Mariotti Sunday night on Twitter. Here’s what Clarke wrote:
It saddens me, as a former friend & colleague of Jay Marrioti, that he hasn’t figured it out.
In the 80’s i covered an Olympics and a World Series with him. The friendship ended at the Closing Ceremonies of the Calgary Olympics.
He wanted to leave 30 minutes into the show. Two of the 3 of us wanted to stay. He stormed out of the stadium, f-bombing us.
Next morning, i found a two-page handwritten letter under my dorm door.
It was the most vile and disturbing thing I had ever received from a “friend.” A bad case of battle fatigue, I figured. Basically saying why he was defriending ME, that i was unworthy.
I tore up the letter & moved on. A few months later, he sent a similar letter to a Denver talk-show host.
One of my great regrets in life is that i didn’t kick in his door and knock him on his punk ass.
For context: I’ve read Norm Clarke’s work for decades and have been lucky enough to get to know him in recent years. A gentler, more considerate soul you will not meet.
If you’re wondering why many media members are reacting the way they are to Mariotti’s felony domestic assault charge, wonder no more. This is more than just about Mariotti’s writing.
If you still think the reax is over-the-top, let me ask you a question: Has there ever been a higher profile person in the history of sports media who has spent more time passing moral judgement on the subjects he or she covers than Mariotti?
No.
Mariotti built his career on over-the-top hyperbole as it pertains to the personal failings of sports figures.
So why isn’t hyperbole in response to his felony domestic assault charge justified?
10:59 am on August 23rd, 2010
Mariotti simply needs his ass kicked. I think there is 3 people that like him
11:31 am on August 23rd, 2010
He is seriously in the running for the title of most hated member of the media, ever.
11:54 am on August 23rd, 2010
I think not saving the letter to share with us all now should also be one of Norm Clarke’s great regrets in life.
12:09 pm on August 23rd, 2010
Mariotti is an over the top pompous gas bag. But of the peoples head’s he has called for over the years he generally has been right. Should he be judged by the same standards? Not if you disagreed with him all the time over the years. As for the Gregg Doyel types can’t you see you owe your whole career to people like Mariotti. You guys are both phony tough guys who want to be famous, think your smarter then you are, think those inane tweets of yours matter to anyone, and make up for a lack of writing/reporting talent with over the top nonsense. Greg Doyle you are not Mariotti, Mariotti you are not Kornheiser, and none of you are George Vescey.
12:17 pm on August 23rd, 2010
Norm Clarke is a hack and he knows it.. the rag he writes for has to constantly pub corrections based on his inaccuracies. whats he gonna do with no depth perception when normie tries to kick jays ass..
12:22 pm on August 23rd, 2010
If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. As we’ve all suspected for years, Mariotti was all talk.
This is like the Wicked Witch getting the bucket of water.
12:33 pm on August 23rd, 2010
So let me get this straight, he’s been hung out to dry because he decried domestic abuse years ago?
Is he supposed to not comment in athletes in trouble with the law- as a sportswriter- because he may do something down the road? What? Does any writer say “hmmm I better not say anything because I might do this in 5 years”? No. You can’t anticipate that. Chances are most writers can be labeled as hypocrites. Get off your high horses, you people act like you’re all soldiers for the moral good.
1:14 pm on August 23rd, 2010
He didn’t have to write about athletes and abuse. He chose to. He was mostly correct but that personal attack on reinsdorf hiding as an Albert belle column which Brooks posted … Illustrates the other part of Marriotti agendas. I met him yrs ago several times. Was cool and direct and polite. Asked him some tough questions. It’s a shame that he’s an ass to many. Good enough writer not to have to be such a pud.
2:18 pm on August 23rd, 2010
It should not be surprising that Jay wrote so much about athletes and domestic violence and then is accused of it himself. Although I forget the name, it is documented that what we notice the most in others tells us something about ourselves. Like all the anti-homosexual politicians that turn out to have homosexual affairs, or all the evangelists that preach about marital fidelity in between sexual trysts with their secretaries.
Good post by Brooks to document Jay’s previous words on this. And let’s not forget that CHARGED with something is not the same as GUILTY of something.
3:19 pm on August 23rd, 2010
@brendan it not about having to comment or convincing readers that he is morally superior to the athlete he so choses to condemn. It’s about believe in what he writes. Which he clearly does not.
3:26 pm on August 23rd, 2010
It doesn’t matter that he wrote about athletes doing wrong, what matters is that he scolded them and told them they were terrible people. If he knew better (he obviously didn’t) then he should have never made this type of mistake. You think Marriotti hurt himself when he fell off his high horse? HA!
7:36 pm on August 23rd, 2010
You’ve got to hand it to Mariotti, he’s got balls messing with a dude (Clarke) with an eye-patch.
8:59 pm on August 23rd, 2010
I think he has three friends; Statboy, Woody Paige and Skip Bayless
10:15 am on August 24th, 2010
He’s the poster child of what’s wrong with oversaturated media these days. A fool with a forum to spew hate and cynicism 24/7. We need more Mike Reiss’s and less of these dickbags.
10:50 am on August 24th, 2010
Who knew Jay Mariotti’s girlfriend has a listening problem?
6:02 am on September 29th, 2010
This is a great post and thank you for sharing this nice experience,and hope you can give another posts as soon as possible.
10:10 pm on March 9th, 2011
Why is he the BBC’s Business Editor again?