The most accurate coverage of the deadly mass shooting targeting the NFL’s New York headquarters came from local and national news media plugged directly into the NYPD, FBI, and Mayor Eric Adams’s office. But there was another important source of news during Monday’s chaotic events: NFL insiders.

Despite being scattered across the country at training camps, insiders such as Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN, former ESPNer Josina Anderson, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided important news and context. Given their contacts inside the NFL, they were some of the few reporters able to reach people at the scene of the deadly rampage at 345 Park Avenue that left four dead and multiple wounded in midtown Manhattan.

Citing a high-ranking source inside the league, Russini reported the heroic story of NFL employee Craig Clementi, who was shot in the back as he exited NFL HQ. 

“There is a belief that the bullet may have ricocheted before hitting him. Remarkably, the man, who had recently welcomed a new baby, was on the phone with other NFL employees at the time, warning them to stay safe and evacuate the building. He continued to make calls even while he was taken to the hospital by ambulance and Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to league employees that their colleague is in stable condition,” Russini wrote on X/Twitter.

Meanwhile, some of the first reports I saw of the NFL telling employees to “shelter in place” Monday night came from Darlington and Anderson. 

As Darlington tweeted Monday night: “An NFL security alert sent to employees: ‘Do not exit the building. Secure your location and hide until law enforcement clears your floor. Please switch phones to silent.’” 

Anderson zeroed in on the implications moving forward, tweeting: “I just spoke to an #NFL league official who told me they walked out the front of the building 30min before the gunman entered the lobby. I anticipate discussion further evaluating security needs outside of 345 park Avenue vs inside.”

Schefter, ESPN’s top NFL insider, shared a memo from commissioner Roger Goodell, updating Clementi’s condition in the hospital and promising an “increased security presence at 345 Park Avenue in the days and weeks to come.” Same for the NFL Network’s Rapoport.

During a Tuesday morning appearance on Good Day New York, Adams said the shooter—identified as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas—intended to go to the NFL offices but “appeared to have gone to the wrong floor.” Tamura died by suicide on the 33rd floor.

NFL insiders reported accurately and responsibly from a distance on a tragic, difficult story, one far removed from their usual beat. FOS reporter Amanda Christovich was on the scene of the shooting throughout the evening. You can read her latest story here.

As Warner Bros. Discovery splits into two companies, it’s looking more and more like it did before the 2022 merger that created the current entity.

WBD advanced on its previously unveiled plans to divide itself, saying a company previously known as Streaming & Studios will be called Warner Bros., and it will continue to be led by president and CEO David Zaslav. A separate entity previously called Global Networks, containing the bulk of WBD’s sports and linear TV holdings, will be called Discovery Global. WBD chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels will lead Discovery Global as president and CEO, and TNT Sports chairman Luis Silberwasser will report to him.

The split remains on track to conclude in mid-2026, but the latest moves give additional definition to what will be two independent, publicly traded companies. The new names also bring the entities back in large part to where they were four years ago, when AT&T’s Warner Media and Discovery Communications merged to create WBD. 

The use of much of the prior company names stems in large part from their existing public recognition, and WBD in particular said the Discovery Global moniker recognizes “the affinity and value this name has around the world in entertainment, news, and sports.”

TNT Sports has been in the midst of remaking its rights portfolio, parting ways with live rights to the NBA beginning this fall, but acquiring many others, including in college football and tennis, and most recently, baseball’s Savannah Bananas. Discovery Global will carry much of the exposure to the ongoing decline of linear television compared to Warner Bros., as well as much of WBD’s existing debt of more than $37 billion. Also freed from larger corporate pressures, that entity, and TNT Sports more specifically, will have greater latitude to pursue other potential opportunities. 

“As we prepare for the launch of Discovery Global, our enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead only grows thanks to our leading portfolio of beloved brands and programming,” Wiedenfels said in a statement. 

The ongoing restructuring also arrives as the compensation plans for both Zaslav and Wiedenfels were restructured amid rising shareholder pressure.

A well-known aphorism opines that coaches only lie about job opportunities when their lips are moving. Given the way Nick Saban’s lips have moved lately, you can count me among those starting to give weight to rumors that the 73-year-old legend could leave ESPN and return to the sidelines.  

The former Alabama coach didn’t slam the door shut on a comeback when asked whether he’d consider coaching again for the “right” opportunity. As Saban told Fox & Friends: “There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching. I enjoy what I’m doing.” 

Of course, Saban wouldn’t be Saban without taking a potshot at the media he’s now part of. When asked about former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy saying someone “in the know” said Saban wasn’t finished, his old coach just scoffed. “You know, it’s amazing to me that that came up in the media—and the media speaks for you and thinks for you.”

Whatever you say, Coach. But the critical words there, to me, were “right now.” On the surface, the seven-time national champion returning to the sidelines makes zero sense. Saban is rich, revered, and still relevant thanks to his superb performance on ESPN’s iconic College GameDay. He has time to spend with his family and golf all he wants while charging a fortune for speeches. 

Saban looks relatively young, tan, and refreshed. But don’t forget that he turns 74 on Oct. 31. That would make him the oldest coach in college football ahead of 73-year-old Bill Belichick, who’s six months younger. In the NFL, the only coach older would be Pete Carroll of the Raiders, who will turn 74 on Sept. 15. 

Saban joined ESPN only one month after retiring from Alabama in January 2024. Despite that, here’s why I believe it’s possible Saban is weighing a media exit and one last ride as a coach: 

•  McElroy is not the only Saban associate feeding the rumor mill. During SEC media says, his former assistant turned Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said: “I don’t think he’s done. I think he’ll be back. Whether that’s college or NFL, I think he’ll be back. … I thought it’d be probably one year in the media, then back.” Fox’s Colin Cowherd went further, claiming the “worst-kept secret in the South” is that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wants to hire Saban, then draft Arch Manning out of Texas. “Saban’s not going to college. He would take a call in the NFL,” said Cowherd.

• Most coaches don’t truly want to do anything else. The number of coaches who entered broadcasting, only to run back to the sidelines, is as long as my arm. Sean Payton spent 2022 with Fox Sports before returning to the NFL with the Broncos. Bruce Arians had a one-year TV gig with CBS Sports in 2018 before returning to the sideline and winning a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Urban Meyer retired from Florida in 2009, spent 2010 with ESPN, then returned to coaching at Ohio State in 2011. He’s back on TV with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff after an unsuccessful stint with the Jaguars. And Jon Gruden left the NFL in 2009 to become ESPN’s top analyst on Monday Night Football—only to return to the Raiders in 2018. After leaving amidst a scandal, he’s now with Barstool Sports.

• In his first year on GameDay, Saban won a well-deserved Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality/Emerging On-Air Talent. With Lee Corso retiring, he’s in a stronger position than ever. Even if he were to scratch the coaching itch for a year or two, ESPN would likely welcome him back with open arms the way they did with Jeff Saturday, who left briefly to coach the Colts before returning to the bosom of Bristol.

• Remember who we are talking about here. It’s hard to forget Saban lying through his teeth about taking the Crimson Tide job while coaching the Dolphins in 2007. Spurned Dolphins fans still refer to him as “Nick Satan.”

The legendary coach leaving ESPN for coaching is still a long shot. But it’s not out of the question. Saban’s one of the most competitive people on the planet. He’s watching while a revitalized Belichick—his former boss with the Browns—tries to turn around UNC’s football program.

One last thought: Despite six Super Bowl trophies with the Patriots, other NFL owners refused to hire Belichick. Saban would have to be amused if NFL owners like Haslam courted him while exiling Belichick to the ACC. Plus, he wouldn’t have to clean the house for Miss Terry.