Why Did 'The Athletic' Write Hit Piece On Ben Johnson To Cover For Commanders?

A strange article appeared on "The Athletic" website on Monday morning. The article is ostensibly about the Washington Commanders hiring Dan Quinn after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson dropped out of the race. 

But, that's not really what it's about. The story appears to be a hit piece on Johnson for walking away from the Commanders – and how he did it – that praises Washington for its handling of the situation. It's an article masquerading as journalism – filled with "anonymous source" quotes – but reads like a piece straight from the Commanders public relations team. 

Most around the league believe that Johnson was the Commanders' top target in their head coaching search. Their actions indicate that, too. Had they wanted to hire Dan Quinn all along, they could have done so much sooner. 

(Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Instead, they waited until after Championship Sunday when both Johnson and former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, were coaching their respective teams. Macdonald ultimately took the head coaching offer from the Seattle Seahawks, while Johnson elected to remain in Detroit. 

Immediately following Johnson's decision, the Washington Commanders PR team went to work. First, there was a post on X by Adam Schefter that stated that Johnson "spooked some teams" with his demands. 

How much would you like to bet that those "sources" were within the Washington organization? They had to start the PR campaign to try and show they didn't lose out on Johnson, rather they were "spooked" by him. 

Except their entire hiring contingent chartered a private jet to fly to Detroit to talk with Johnson. Surely, they knew his "asking price" by that point, no? If they were truly "spooked," why continue with the process? 

But, the Commanders weren't done trying to smear Johnson after he spurned their advances. Enter: "The Athletic." 

A story on "The Athletic" website looks like a PR piece for the Washington Commanders organization 

An article titled, "How the Commanders landed on Dan Quinn amid twists, turns and ‘outrageous’ actions" appeared on the site on Monday. 

In it, author Ben Standig – with contributions from Dianna Russini – lays out the entire Commanders side of the story. Spoiler alert: it's not very friendly toward Johnson. 

Keep in mind, as well, that Russini has an interesting history with the Washington organization. She previously worked as a sports reporter in Washington, D.C. and often presents a very positive view of the organization in her reporting. 

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

That as the backdrop, let's dive into some of the claims within the article. 

The beginning is mostly what the headline promises. It's a deep-dive into the process the Commanders went through to hire their new head coach and general manager. 

But, it takes a turn. First, the author talks about how new owner Josh Harris ran a "largely leak-free search" and all the information that went public was simply "gossip." 

The first anonymous source implies that Ben Johnson and his team leaked all the information that came out. Strike one towards Johnson. 

Then, the story claims that Johnson texted the Commanders contingent that he was no longer interested while they were on a plane en route to Detroit. Another source, a "high-ranking executive with another team," apparently said that breaking the news that way was a "poor choice." 

Another "league source familiar with the situation" comes in to add, "Simply outrageous. That’s not how you conduct business. It is how you ruin your reputation."

Ben Johnson takes a beating from "anonymous league sources" and "high-ranking league officials" 

OK, let's operate under the assumption that Johnson did text the Commanders while they were on their way to Detroit. That does seem like poor practice. However, there's some context needed here. 

Johnson's Detroit Lions lost in the NFC Championship some time around 10 p.m. on Sunday night. The meeting with the Commanders was scheduled for Tuesday. Presumably, the Commanders planned to fly in on Monday to prepare for their meeting. 

When, exactly, was Johnson supposed to inform them of his decision? The moment the clock hit 0:00 in the NFC Championship? 

(Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Thinking about this in human terms, Johnson probably flew back with the team late Sunday night and didn't get to bed until the early-morning hours of Monday. He then most likely spoke with his family and took a few moments to think about his potentially career-changing decision. Can you blame him? I don't. 

That leads us back to my initial question: what should Johnson have done? Should he have kept the meeting and told the team then? Make them fly all the way to Detroit, get a hotel room, prepare for a meeting and then learn that he doesn't want to continue? Wouldn't that have been much worse? 

Essentially, Johnson was in a lose-lose position no matter what he chose to do. Except, "The Athletic" doesn't present this side. Instead, they write: "Whatever the theory, league sources, whether they cared about Washington’s plight or not, shared one unified sentiment: The Commanders got screwed." 

"The Athletic" turns its attention back to Dan Quinn, lauds the Commanders for hiring a great head coach 

After smearing Johnson, the article turns its attention back to Dan Quinn. I almost couldn't believe the paragraph that actually appeared in this story. 

"The Commanders, coming off a 4-13 campaign with the league’s worst defense, snagged — from a loathed rival — the coordinator who directed a unit that led the NFL in takeaways twice and ranked top-seven in points allowed in each of Quinn’s three seasons. Quinn gets dinged as a "retread" hire even though Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Andy Reid — all recent Super Bowl champions — fall into that bucket," the article states. 

Whoa, boy. At this point, I understand that what I'm reading is PR spin by the Commanders. But, dial it back a bit. Giving Dan Quinn credit for the Cowboys' ability to create turnovers? That's a stretch. Putting him in the same sentence as Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Andy Reid? What are we even doing here? 

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

They follow with some more flowery quotes about Quinn to really hammer home the point that the Commanders nailed their head coaching hire, even though they moved on to somewhere around their fifth choice. 

The article eventually gets back to Johnson and provides one positive quote from their "sources." 

"He got out of that San Francisco loss, having been walloped emotionally. Think about what he went through," said an NFC front-office executive. "To consider where he wanted to (work and live) at that exact moment … if he was self-aware to make the right decision for him, I commend him."

Yes, perhaps this quote could have gone higher in the article. Maybe somewhere around where they were calling him "outrageous" and "ruining his reputation" this would have fit in. Instead, it's near the bottom. 

And, they couldn't even let that quote live on its own. A few paragraphs later, the authors bash Johnson for being a poor interview and someone who isn't ready to be a head coach because he likes to be alone too much. Then, of course, they bring up his compensation "demands" again. 

The point I'm trying to make here is simple: "The Athletic" prides itself as being a strictly "sports journalism" outlet. 

This isn't journalism. In fact, it's the opposite of journalism. That requires balance and objectivity. This is neither. 

If the author is applying for a job in the Washington Commanders PR department, though, mission accomplished. The organization probably doesn't have anyone who could write a better puff piece than him.