Sports figures celebrating Deadspin’s possible demise after Hulk Hogan wins $115 million – Sporting News

A Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan a staggering $115 million in his invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media, founder Nick Denton and former Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio.

Many sports personalities who have been exposed by Deadspin, Gawker’s sports media arm, over the last decade are probably popping champagne in spirit with Hogan. It’s no coincidence most are connected to ESPN — one of the take-no-prisoners sports blog’s chief targets over the past decade.

Denton has said previously the Hogan lawsuit could put the company out of business. If the lights go out at Deadspin, these sports personalities might end up having the last laugh.

MORE: Takeaways from the trial | Why his penis was vital to the case

Brett Favre: The married former Jets QB was humiliated by Deadspin’s 2010 report that he sent photos of his genitals to in-house sideline reporter Jenn Sterger. But it was Daulerio scoring audio of Favre’s creepy attempted cell phone seduction of Sterger that really undid the Gunslinger. Favre never lived it down. Sterger’s hope of a sport TV career died a quick death. Favre is now reduced to doing fake press conference TV commercials for the “Tough Blade,” complete with ersatz reporters writing in their notebooks. 

Jason Whitlock: The former ESPNer was supposed to return in triumph as editor-in-chief of an African-American-oriented vanity site called “The Undefeated.” But Whitlock’s second try with ESPN turned to ashes when Deadspin’s Greg Howard wrote several devastating articles in 2015 cataloging his catastrophic mismanagement. Whitlock was removed from the site that was hand-built around him. Now back at Fox, he’s been sniping with the Brooklyn “hipsters” at Deadspin ever since. On Friday, Whitlock tweeted: “Congrats to Hulk Hogan.”

Manti Te’o: Deadspin’s finest moment in my book. When the mainstream sports media wrote heartwarming stories about the Notre Dame linebacker’s love affair with dying girlfriend Lennay Kekua, Deadspin’s Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey checked it out in 2013. The whole thing was a hoax. There never was a Lennay Kekua. She never died after a brave battle with leukemia.  Te’o and the media who fell for this modern day “Love Story” looked foolish. As they say in journalism class: If your mom says she loves you, check it out.

MORE: Where these disgraced athletes went wrong

Sean Salisbury: The former ESPN analyst thought it would be funny to show pictures of his manhood to appalled co-workers at an off-campus party in Bristol. Deadspin and other blogs reported the incident in 2007. As soon as you can hum, “Dah-dah-dah-dah,” the ex-NFL QB was finished in Bristol. Salisbury fell into a deep depression and career tailspin. Like Hogan he tried suing Deadspin — but later dropped the case.

Sarah Phillips: Somehow she was hired by ESPN’s Page 2 despite lying about her identity, credentials and experience. When Deadspin’s John Koblin exposed her as a con artist, ESPN dumped her immediately. But it led to troubling questions about who gets hired, and why, in Bristol.