SI reporter and 49ers player feud

[dcdrew10]

SI 49ers beat "reporter" Grant Cohn, who is well known in the SF area for his combative "reporting" style that includes personal attacks, trolling, and demeaning, particularly towards draftees he considers busts. He's spent the last couple seasons going after Javon Kinlaw, whom he did not want the 49ers to draft. Comments about his knees being "80 years old" and admits to saying a "hundred negative things" about Kinlaw in his articles.

It's a shit show.

Apparently Kinlaw got in his face and knocked his hat off at a recent practice. Cohn later live-streamed more trash talking and admitted that his first reaction when Kinlaw got in his face was that he "could retire today. That’s what went through my mind: I’m about to be a multimillionaire thanks to Javon Kinlaw.” Clearly Cohn was trying to bait Kinlaw into something and that he would either get attacked and could sue or he's going to play the controversy up for more attention and clicks.

Later, Kinlaw appeared on Cohn's livestream show and cursed him out excessively and said he was doing it on behalf of the 49ers players. Direct quotes from Kinlaw: “The only reason I’m getting on here and stooping to your level, this low, is because I feel like it’s gotta be done." “Somebody gotta do it and it’s gonna be me. Somebody gotta press you, fam. You like to come on here and bully people on the internet. But when I press up on you in f*cking person, you f*cking shaking like a coward and voice lighter than my f*ckking baby…Your balls shriveled up, little d*ck.....”

Cohn continued to bait Kinlaw and clearly relished his role as a troll. He later mentioned that his "dad wore in the industry" and he learned from his dad, who BTW, equated players who use PEDs to murders, when he covered the 49ers.

49ers players have come out en mass supporting Kinlaw and denouncing their treatment from Cohn, so one positive is he is helping bring the team together.

Kinlaw had a tough upbringing, bouncing between being homeless in DC with his mother and being with his dad, who beat him. Football gave him a path out, but he probably Kinlaw is probably going to get slapped by the NFL on this and he probably didn't address it the most effective way, but Cohn sounds like an absolute piece of shit. He's Jim Rome minus personality, charm, and talent.

 

[BrazilianSoxFan]

Why do the 49rs allow this guy inside the facilities?

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

but Cohn sounds like an absolute piece of shit. He's Jim Rome minus personality, charm, and talent.

Which is why he's probably going to get very famous (and rich) off this interaction.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Why do the 49rs allow this guy inside the facilities?

My guess is that he's a member of the press and even if this guy is a complete fucking piece of shit (he sounds like he is) you can't just ban press people because you don't like their opinions. That's getting into MAGA territory ("The Press is the enemy of the state!") and unless Cohn does (or attempts to do) something to injure or otherwise have a player fear for his safety, he's not really doing anything wrong other than being an asshole.

 

[Auger34]

My guess is that he's a member of the press and even if this guy is a complete fucking piece of shit (he sounds like he is) you can't just ban press people because you don't like their opinions. That's getting into MAGA territory ("The Press is the enemy of the state!") and unless Cohn does (or attempts to do) something to injure or otherwise have a player fear for his safety, he's not really doing anything wrong other than being an asshole.

Id argue that doing being an agitator who is willing to admit that he’s gleefully thinking about suing people and taking their livelihood when facing retribution for what he writes is far past “difference of opinion” territory.

If I were involved with the 49ers I would ban him just based off of that

 

[jmcc5400]

SI 49ers beat "reporter" Grant Cohn, who is well known in the SF area for his combative "reporting" style that includes personal attacks, trolling, and demeaning, particularly towards draftees he considers busts. He's spent the last couple seasons going after Javon Kinlaw, whom he did not want the 49ers to draft. Comments about his knees being "80 years old" and admits to saying a "hundred negative things" about Kinlaw in his articles.

It's a shit show.

Apparently Kinlaw got in his face and knocked his hat off at a recent practice. Cohn later live-streamed more trash talking and admitted that his first reaction when Kinlaw got in his face was that he "could retire today. That’s what went through my mind: I’m about to be a multimillionaire thanks to Javon Kinlaw.” Clearly Cohn was trying to bait Kinlaw into something and that he would either get attacked and could sue or he's going to play the controversy up for more attention and clicks.

Later, Kinlaw appeared on Cohn's livestream show and cursed him out excessively and said he was doing it on behalf of the 49ers players. Direct quotes from Kinlaw: “The only reason I’m getting on here and stooping to your level, this low, is because I feel like it’s gotta be done." “Somebody gotta do it and it’s gonna be me. Somebody gotta press you, fam. You like to come on here and bully people on the internet. But when I press up on you in f*cking person, you f*cking shaking like a coward and voice lighter than my f*ckking baby…Your balls shriveled up, little d*ck.....”

Cohn continued to bait Kinlaw and clearly relished his role as a troll. He later mentioned that his "dad wore in the industry" and he learned from his dad, who BTW, equated players who use PEDs to murders, when he covered the 49ers.

49ers players have come out en mass supporting Kinlaw and denouncing their treatment from Cohn, so one positive is he is helping bring the team together.

Kinlaw had a tough upbringing, bouncing between being homeless in DC with his mother and being with his dad, who beat him. Football gave him a path out, but he probably Kinlaw is probably going to get slapped by the NFL on this and he probably didn't address it the most effective way, but Cohn sounds like an absolute piece of shit. He's Jim Rome minus personality, charm, and talent.

So, Jim Rome then?

 

[BrazilianSoxFan]

My guess is that he's a member of the press and even if this guy is a complete fucking piece of shit (he sounds like he is) you can't just ban press people because you don't like their opinions. That's getting into MAGA territory ("The Press is the enemy of the state!") and unless Cohn does (or attempts to do) something to injure or otherwise have a player fear for his safety, he's not really doing anything wrong other than being an asshole.

The 49rs are a private entity, not the government. They are well within their rights to no allow a troll and agitator to get inside and agitate their employees.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

I don’t think JMOH is suggesting this guy/his employer have a constitutional right to enter the 49ers locker room or practice facility. I think he’s suggesting that teams and the NFL - public entity or not - are going to hesitate to pull someone’s credentials because the reporter pisses off players, and that it would be, well, not great if they were kicking reporters out.

Neither the team nor league will ban him. The risk he may be running is that SI may pull him if he proves to be too much trouble or players start ignoring him.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I don’t think JMOH is suggesting this guy/his employer have a constitutional right to enter the 49ers locker room or practice facility. I think he’s suggesting that teams and the NFL - public entity or not - are going to hesitate to pull someone’s credentials because the reporter pisses off players, and that it would be, well, not great if they were kicking reporters out.

Neither the team nor league will ban him. The risk he may be running is that SI may pull him if he proves to be too much trouble or players start ignoring him.

That's exactly what I mean. I mean the Niners could tell Cohn to pound sand, but here the pen is mightier than the sword and he's going to write article after article about how he's the aggrieved party and how the Niners can't stand "a dissenting opinion" and how he's got principles and he's not going to be a house organ for the team. Next thing you know he becomes the hero of the day for standing up to the Niners, their players ("THEY PLAY A CHILDREN'S GAME AND THEY CAN'T STAND A LITTLE CRITICISM?") and the NFL. No one cares that Cohn is the agitator, now he's the victim. And an emboldened victim at that.

The internet phrase, "Don't feed the trolls" works well here. Make sure Cohn has his press pass, allow him into the locker room, allow him to ask questions, treat him like a regular reporter. But that doesn't mean the Niners and their players have to give him anything. Yes or no answers, don't elaborate. "No comment" for non-yes and no questions. He'll probably write the same shit that he would above but no longer will he be the cause celebrity. Especially to most fans who don't understand the nuances of the press/player relationship.

"They let you talk to the players and coaches?"
"Yes"
"They let you in the facility and go to press conferences?"
"Yes"
"They answer your questions?"
"Yes"
"Then what's the problem?"
"Well, they don't answer the questions thoughtfully. They won't give me off-the-record quotes. They don't treat me like other reporters."
"Sounds like a you problem, buddy."

I mean, you could easily say that all reporters are agitators but not all reporters are such dicks about it as Cohn.

 

[JCizzle]

Cohn is a far less talented Adam Jones. Kinlaw went a step too far, but I think it will ultimately just die down and players will semi-boycott any questions from Cohn moving forward.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

Is the pen still mightier than the sword? This is 2022. I think the 49ers need a Sports Illustrated beat reporter a lot less than he needs the 49ers. In general, I don't think teams need to credential anyone who isn't reporting on the team in good faith.

 

[jon abbey]

Also Sports Illustrated is no longer a serious publication, the name remains but the underlying quality is mostly gone.

 

[JCizzle]

Is the pen still mightier than the sword? This is 2022. I think the 49ers need a Sports Illustrated beat reporter a lot less than he needs the 49ers. In general, I don't think teams need to credential anyone who isn't reporting on the team in good faith.

Also Sports Illustrated is no longer a serious publication, the name remains but the underlying quality is mostly gone.

Breer talked about the situation on T&R today. I guess he’s been dragged into it due to the SI affiliation, but he noted that this guy doesn’t even work for what most consider “SI”. It’s basically a random blog that got rolled under the umbrella like the Forbes articles that anyone can write now.

 

[dcdrew10]

So, Jim Rome then?

He and everyone involved wishes he was half as talented and nice as Jim Rome. And maybe Kinlaw can be the Chris, er Jim Everett to Cohn's Rome.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Is the pen still mightier than the sword? This is 2022. I think the 49ers need a Sports Illustrated beat reporter a lot less than he needs the 49ers. In general, I don't think teams need to credential anyone who isn't reporting on the team in good faith.

Also Sports Illustrated is no longer a serious publication, the name remains but the underlying quality is mostly gone.

The publication doesn't matter. I mean, we're talking about it now, aren't we? We know that SI isn't even a former shell of itself, what would regular sports fans think if they heard the 49ers booted a reporter from their facilities? It's the optics more than anything and people still think that SI is a thing, even though they haven't picked up a magazine in ten years.

And what, exactly, is "good faith"? That's a really tough thing to define. I mean, a reporter may be under the impression that John Henry isn't doing all he can to help the Red Sox win the World Series and that he's content putting a team on the field that is just good enough but doesn't feel like going the extra mile. Henry would probably argue that point with that reporter. Should the Red Sox ban that reporter for thinking that the owner is only interested in his bank account?

Things like this happen all the time. How many reporters have gotten into screaming matches with players and front office people? One of the first lines in Will McDonough's obit is when he punched Raymond Clayborn, not only that but when I Googled McDonough's name, Clayborn's name was one of the top seven hits to come back. It's how you react to what happened determines whether this turns into a nothingburger on the Friday before Memorial Day to idiots screaming that the Niners "violated Cohn's Constitutional rights"*.

* Seriously, it will go there. How many morons do you see screaming about "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" when they yell something stupid and a company takes offense to it? Nuance and facts are not in arrows in the American moron's quiver.

 

[BrazilianSoxFan]

That's exactly what I mean. I mean the Niners could tell Cohn to pound sand, but here the pen is mightier than the sword and he's going to write article after article about how he's the aggrieved party and how the Niners can't stand "a dissenting opinion" and how he's got principles and he's not going to be a house organ for the team. Next thing you know he becomes the hero of the day for standing up to the Niners, their players ("THEY PLAY A CHILDREN'S GAME AND THEY CAN'T STAND A LITTLE CRITICISM?") and the NFL. No one cares that Cohn is the agitator, now he's the victim. And an emboldened victim at that.

The internet phrase, "Don't feed the trolls" works well here. Make sure Cohn has his press pass, allow him into the locker room, allow him to ask questions, treat him like a regular reporter. But that doesn't mean the Niners and their players have to give him anything. Yes or no answers, don't elaborate. "No comment" for non-yes and no questions. He'll probably write the same shit that he would above but no longer will he be the cause celebrity. Especially to most fans who don't understand the nuances of the press/player relationship.

"They let you talk to the players and coaches?"
"Yes"
"They let you in the facility and go to press conferences?"
"Yes"
"They answer your questions?"
"Yes"
"Then what's the problem?"
"Well, they don't answer the questions thoughtfully. They won't give me off-the-record quotes. They don't treat me like other reporters."
"Sounds like a you problem, buddy."

I mean, you could easily say that all reporters are agitators but not all reporters are such dicks about it as Cohn.

A player just almost punched the guy. At some point you have to stand for your employees.

 

[Gdiguy]

That's exactly what I mean. I mean the Niners could tell Cohn to pound sand, but here the pen is mightier than the sword and he's going to write article after article about how he's the aggrieved party and how the Niners can't stand "a dissenting opinion" and how he's got principles and he's not going to be a house organ for the team. Next thing you know he becomes the hero of the day for standing up to the Niners, their players ("THEY PLAY A CHILDREN'S GAME AND THEY CAN'T STAND A LITTLE CRITICISM?") and the NFL. No one cares that Cohn is the agitator, now he's the victim. And an emboldened victim at that.

The internet phrase, "Don't feed the trolls" works well here. Make sure Cohn has his press pass, allow him into the locker room, allow him to ask questions, treat him like a regular reporter. But that doesn't mean the Niners and their players have to give him anything. Yes or no answers, don't elaborate. "No comment" for non-yes and no questions. He'll probably write the same shit that he would above but no longer will he be the cause celebrity. Especially to most fans who don't understand the nuances of the press/player relationship.

"They let you talk to the players and coaches?"
"Yes"
"They let you in the facility and go to press conferences?"
"Yes"
"They answer your questions?"
"Yes"
"Then what's the problem?"
"Well, they don't answer the questions thoughtfully. They won't give me off-the-record quotes. They don't treat me like other reporters."
"Sounds like a you problem, buddy."

I mean, you could easily say that all reporters are agitators but not all reporters are such dicks about it as Cohn.

He's going to write those articles anyway, though

This is where the 1990's strategy I don't think works anymore; he gets clicks because he writes outrageous and insulting things, and treating him as if he's a 'serious reporter' by giving him press access gives him credibility.

Pull his access and announce 'if he wants to report things that's fine, but if all he's interested in doing is essentially an online harassment campaign against one of our players, we're not going to empower him by giving him press access'

 

[Just a bit outside]

The NFL can should just treat him like he is Colin Kaepernick.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

what would regular sports fans think if they heard the 49ers booted a reporter from their facilities?

Who cares? The NFL has long since transcended the need for the approval of regular sports fans.

 

[BringBackMo]

I mean, a reporter may be under the impression that John Henry isn't doing all he can to help the Red Sox win the World Series and that he's content putting a team on the field that is just good enough but doesn't feel like going the extra mile.

SOSH has reporters now?

 

[nattysez]

Missing from this discussion is that Grant Cohn is a nepotism case. His dad is Lowell Cohn, who was a very long-timer reporter and columnist known (at least in his later years) for being really harsh in his assessments of SF players/teams. Grant has been riding Lowell's coattails for years while trying to make a name for himself (they have a YouTube bit called the "Cohn Zohn"). I'm sure he's tickled pink by this turn of events. I'm curious what would happen if the Niners banned him from the locker room. I'm not positive the rest of the SF journalistic corps would rise in his defense, but I also think the Niners would prefer not to give Grant the satisfaction of continuing to be able to make himself the story.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

A player just almost punched the guy. At some point you have to stand for your employees.

This is on the player. He’s not supposed to do that ever. A player is supposed to have more sense than this. And what happens if he did and he went to court?

Judge: why did you punch Mr. Cohn?
Kinlaw: he wrote mean things about me!
Judge: I find for the plaintiff. Next case.

He's going to write those articles anyway, though

This is where the 1990's strategy I don't think works anymore; he gets clicks because he writes outrageous and insulting things, and treating him as if he's a 'serious reporter' by giving him press access gives him credibility.

Pull his access and announce 'if he wants to report things that's fine, but if all he's interested in doing is essentially an online harassment campaign against one of our players, we're not going to empower him by giving him press access'

I agree with this but you know that’s not the way people are going to understand it. “The Niners violated his rights!”

Most Americans are very, very, very fucking stupid

Who cares? The NFL has long since transcended the need for the approval of regular sports fans.

Maybe so. But the NFL hates bad press more than anything else

SOSH has reporters now?

Oh, you!

 

[Awesome Fossum]

Most Americans are very, very, very fucking stupid

And you want to build your team's media relations policy around them?

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

And you want to build your team's media relations policy around them?

Like it or not, catering to the mouth-breathers of the world is very lucrative and very influential. There are products and services, media companies and political parties that serve this very audience.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

Lots of thoughtful well articulated points why the 49ers should not to take away this guy's access.

Regardless, I would take away his access. He's a bully, a troll, and harassing players. Fuck him.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

Like it or not, catering to the mouth-breathers of the world is very lucrative and very influential. There are products and services, media companies and political parties that serve this very audience.

We're talking specifically about the 49ers. If they pulled this guy's credentials, how does that negatively impact them in any meaningful way? Maybe it would be the outrage of the day in some corners; no one would care in a week. Instead, the plan is to coach players on how to deal with this hack for, what, the next thirty years? He's like 35 and clearly plans on making a career out of this.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

We're talking specifically about the 49ers. If they pulled this guy's credentials, how does that negatively impact them in any meaningful way? Maybe it would be the outrage of the day in some corners; no one would care in a week. Instead, the plan is to coach players on how to deal with this hack for, what, the next thirty years? He's like 35 and clearly plans on making a career out of this.

To be clear, I am not disagreeing with you. My only point is that Cohn serves a particular audience - look no further than this website to see that there is a significant portion of a fanbase that consumes sports not just for the action but the drama (officiating conspiracies, beef between organizations, interpersonal conflict across and within ballclubs etc.). People love drama and Cohn serves it up spicy & hot. The fact that the 9ers haven't yet pulled his pass and don't seem to be heading that way coupled with market for his services suggests to me that they are wary about some sort of backlash.

Finally, I know it can't be easy, especially for a young professional athlete in their early to mid 20s but part of the job is weathering criticism, fair or not. If Kinlaw is doing things the right way, we likely aren't even reading this thread at present.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

To be clear, I am not disagreeing with you.

I misunderstood; my apologies. No doubt that there will be an audience for this kind of stuff.

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Saw this clip. Kinlaw may have had a valid point to make, but it was lost pretty early on when it became clear that all he wanted to do was berate Cohn, about 75% of the time using slang that I'm quite sure went over Cohn's head. And Cohn may be an agitator, but he did try to ask questions and speak to what Kinlaw was raving about a couple times early on, but Kinlaw just kept talking over him in terms that I'm guessing most of his viewers don't know. He ended the "interview" by issuing a vague threat (saying he and his friends know what Cohn and his family look like) and repeatedly hollering "I'm not the one!" before ending the video chat.

I'm sure Kinlaw and his teammates felt vindicated when it was all over, but I'm willing to bet if you showed that clip to 100 people on the street, they'd all question Kinlaw's emotional state and psychological profile (while also having to constantly pull up UrbanDictionary.com to figure out what he was blathering about) and say Cohn handled himself very well in the face of all that anger and hostility.

Cohn may be an asshole, but Kinlaw came across as having a screw loose and potentially hinting at a personal vendetta. If he does do something after all that bluster, Cohn will be a very wealthy man and Kinlaw will likely never play another down in the NFL. Hopefully the 49ers organization puts a stop to it before it gets that far.

 

[changer591]

Saw this clip. Kinlaw may have had a valid point to make, but it was lost pretty early on when it became clear that all he wanted to do was berate Cohn, about 75% of the time using slang that I'm quite sure went over Cohn's head. And Cohn may be an agitator, but he did try to ask questions and speak to what Kinlaw was raving about a couple times early on, but Kinlaw just kept talking over him in terms that I'm guessing most of his viewers don't know. He ended the "interview" by issuing a vague threat (saying he and his friends know what Cohn and his family look like) and repeatedly hollering "I'm not the one!" before ending the video chat.

I'm sure Kinlaw and his teammates felt vindicated when it was all over, but I'm willing to bet if you showed that clip to 100 people on the street, they'd all question Kinlaw's emotional state and psychological profile (while also having to constantly pull up UrbanDictionary.com to figure out what he was blathering about) and say Cohn handled himself very well in the face of all that anger and hostility.

Cohn may be an asshole, but Kinlaw came across as having a screw loose and potentially hinting at a personal vendetta. If he does do something after all that bluster, Cohn will be a very wealthy man and Kinlaw will likely never play another down in the NFL. Hopefully the 49ers organization puts a stop to it before it gets that far.

Am I the only one that read this and thought "yeah, if those 100 people were all 65 year old white guys"?

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

I'm a 40-year-old white guy who is pretty up on modern terms and I had no idea what he was trying to say half the time. I'm sure he's right about it, I just don't know what it is.

 

[changer591]

I'm a 40-year-old white guy who is pretty up on modern terms and I had no idea what he was trying to say half the time. I'm sure he's right about it, I just don't know what it is.

I realized after I posted that my message could have been taken as accusing racism or something, and that wasn't my intention. I only posted that because I found it interesting that you focused on the language used (which I had no issues understanding being a 44 year old American/Chinese) rather than the content. I also would bet that Cohn understand every single thing that Kinlaw said to him...and while his side of the video was very calm and collected, I felt that he knew exactly what he was doing to try to come out as "the good guy" in the clip. I thought it was overreacting to say that someone would question his psychological profile...hard to say how anyone would behave when someone publicly talks trash against you.
On a slight tangent, I just watched "The Hunt" last night, and I see some connections with this and how people need to be able to own up being an ass online...and while I wouldn't necessarily condone the way Kinlaw went about it, I also can't say I'm totally against it.

 

[johnmd20]

Maybe so. But the NFL hates bad press more than anything else

I'm not sure if this is even the case. The NFL loves press, all press. The NFL has been awash in scandals and bad press over the last 10 years. Concussions, made up stuff like deflategate, players punching women, more players punching women, players beating their kids, Daniel Snyder, bountygate, cheerleaders being trafficked.

The machine rolls on.