ESPN's coverage of the 2022 NFL Draft will look a little different.
Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. already announced that he will be broadcasting from his Maryland home, rather than ESPN's Draft HQ in Las Vegas. The longtime analyst is not vaccinated from COVID-19, he announced in a statement on Twitter last week, and therefore not allowed to be on-site in Las Vegas.
While Kiper will remain part of ESPN's coverage from afar, the network said longtime insider Adam Schefter will not participate in NFL Draft coverage this year. Schefter will instead be preparing to attend his son's college graduation, according to an ESPN statement released last week. In his stead, longtime insider Chris Mortensen will anchor reporting duties for the network.
Schefter's son Devon goes to Michigan. According to the university's commencement calendar, graduation festivities take place on Saturday, April 30.
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Schefter, ESPN's preeminent NFL news-breaker, inked a new deal in March that reportedly pays him around $10 million a year. He has been a staple of the network's NFL draft coverage over the course of his nearly 20-year career at the company. However, the 55-year old has found himself in hot water over the past few months.
The NFL's investigation into racist and misogynistic emails sent between former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and Washington team personnel revealed Schefter had allowed then-Redskins general manager Bruce Allen to read over an article before publication 10 years earlier, jokingly referring to him as "Mr. Editor".
Then there was Schefter's take on domestic assault allegations against Vikings running back Dalvin Cook last November. He based his initial report solely on information from Cook's agent, Zac Hiller, who said his client was "the victim of domestic abuse and extortion" without attempting to contact the woman involved in the case, who filed a lawsuit accusing Cook of domestic abuse.
Minnesota Vikings’ RB Dalvin Cook is the victim of domestic abuse and extortion – there’s pending litigation, according to his agent Zac Hiller.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2021
Schefter was back in the news cycle for the wrong reasons in early April. Schefter broke news of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins' tragic death in a car wreck. However, instead of praising Haskins for all he accomplished on- and off-the-field, Schefter instead decided to throw a dig at Haskins for seemingly struggling at the NFL level.
This makes me so mad. Dwayne Haskins was a human being, not a prop to make your tweet look better. Do better @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/V6aAz3fLCN
— Sir Yacht🛥 (@SirYacht_) April 9, 2022
Schefter was roundly criticized for his characterization of Haskins. He eventually deleted the tweet and apologized, praising Haskins on his radio show.
An apology and a tribute to Dwayne Haskins. pic.twitter.com/QxjShC4ZYu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2022