After Warren Sapp tweeted that free agent tight end Jeremy Shockey was a "snitch" in the Saints bounty investigation, the NFL Network has reminded Sapp that he is an analyst and not a reporter.Shockey denied the claim that he was a whistleblower, and wants Sapp fired, suspended or at least fined. Said the former Saints tight end, in an interview with Yahoo! Sports: "Is the league going to come down on their own people when someone does something so wrong and outrageous?"The NFL Network responded Friday, in a statement to NBC Sports.
"We have discussed it with Warren and stressed that he is an analyst and not a reporter for NFL Network," said NFL Network Senior Vice President of Programming and Production Mark Quenzel. "In the future, if he comes across something he thinks is news he will let his producers know and before it is reported or Tweeted, that content will be subject to the same verification procedure that our reporters follow."
Shockey was a member of the Saints from 2008-2010, and would have witnessed the cash-incentive program installed by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams which rewarded players for harming opponents. Both Shockey and Sapp attended the University of Miami.