Faith

Jeremy Lin Allegedly Meets With Fired ESPN Writer to Talk About ‘Shared Christian Values’ & ‘Reconciliation’

Jeremy Lin Meets With Former ESPN Employee Anthony Federico | Headline

New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin durin an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

It’s been more than a month since former ESPN employee Anthony Federico was fired over his controversial “chink in the armor” headline (as you’ll recall, this was written for an article about Knick’s player Jeremy Lin). Following the incident, which made national news and led to accusations that Federico’s headline was written with racist intentions, Lin has met with the former sports network employee.

Newsday reports about the contents of the meeting as well as Federico’s response to the opportunity to chat with the Knicks player:

Lin met with Anthony Federico, a 28-year-old Connecticut man, during a Knicks off-day. According to Federico, the two discussed their shared Christian faith and Lin’s knee injury. [...]

“It went incredible,” Federico said. “I’m just so excited we had a chance to meet. We talked for an hour. I’m just so thankful.”

A Knicks spokesman said on Wednesday that Lin did not wish to publicly discuss the meeting. Calls to Lin’s agent were not returned.

While Lin didn’t wish to discuss the meeting, Federico has shared his version of the details with reporters. According to the former ESPN employee, a member of Lin’s family reached out to him in an e-mail and inevitably set up the meeting. The two chatted at a restaurant in New York City about a variety of subjects.

Jeremy Lin Meets With Former ESPN Employee Anthony Federico | Headline

“We talked more about matters of faith [and] reconciliation,” Federico explains. “We talked about our shared Christian values and what we’re both trying do with this situation…We didn’t talk about the headline for more than three minutes.”

Federico was elated over the conversation, as he he subsequently called Lin “a wonderful, humble person.” He was more than thankful that the basketball star took the time to meet with him following such a chaotic media spectacle.

Last month, Federico released a full statement addressing the controversy.

“I wrote the headline in reference to the tone of the column and not to Jeremy Lin’s race,” he explained. “It was a lapse in judgment and not a racist pun. It was an awful editorial omission and it cost me my job.”

(H/T: Gothamist)

Comments (17)

  • LetsBeSmartAboutThis
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:58pm

    He sends a good message to the sports world about not being so sensitive and petty. Classy move.

    Report Post »  
  • LastAmerican
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 12:46pm

    i don’t even care for basketball. but I will be a fan of this guy from now on. Thats called class.

    Report Post »  
  • mikee1
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 10:32am

    The headline was just GOOD SPORTS WRITING. The dumbass newspapers are dying because they are liberal, Internet and LACK OF GOOD WRITERS. The RACISM is this CHINESE PLAYER was not starting from the beginning somewhere in the NBA. He obviously has SUPERSTAR POTENTIAL. Did you know that AFFIRMATIVE ACTION main negative target (those who are impacted negatively by it, KEPT OUT) ARE ASIANS, NOT WHITES. That is particularly true for MALE ASIANS. The females they like, especially if they love them long time. The liberals want the males all just doing their WASHY-WASHY BUSINESS and voting dummycrap in the big cities. The
    Asians cracked the pro sports barrier long after the blacks did. This PC MINDSET MUST GO. LOL.

    Report Post » mikee1  
  • jvlag3
    Posted on March 29, 2012 at 6:17am

    Reconciliation for what? A saying that was around before this kid was born and had nothing to do with race. ESPN is the one that owes the reporter an apology and his job back (with back pay). This PC crap needs to be stopped…

    Report Post »  
    • helmethead
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 7:08am

      Not the first time ESPN has imposed their political correctness (and stupidity) on their employees…

      Report Post » helmethead  
  • mikee99
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 11:14pm

    Both stand up guys.

    Report Post »  
    • db321
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 1:04am

      Yea – It looks like ESPN is the one with bad behavior and bad judgement!

      Report Post » db321  
    • Free2speakRN
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 9:37am

      Mike and DB,

      I humbly agree.

      This is the difference between the secular attitude and ‘pc’ and its ways, and the Christian Faith of the two men. Federico seems happier after the get together, than if all the occurrence/controversy ever even happened in the first place. Chritianity in true practice is ‘Beauty Unfolding’. ‘A breath of life’.

      Report Post »  
  • Lost Rebel
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 9:47pm

    This is so cool. We need to hear more of the young people in this nation speaking out on their faith. Maybe this will create a lifelong bond.

    Report Post » Lost Rebel  
  • Eleutheria
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:52pm

    This is how real men behave.

    Outstanding!

    Report Post » Eleutheria  
  • dealer@678
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:45pm

    Would’nt it be great if Beck could bring Lin and Tebow together to speak at Restoring Love

    Report Post »  
    • conservativejon
      Posted on March 29, 2012 at 7:23am

      that would send a good message, but i doubt they would, because the controversy would unfortinatly hurt their careers. i would think that they have a clause in their contracts that forbid partisipating in rallys that could “make their team look bad”. which you know is how it would be spun in the media. though, it would be great if they did go.

      Report Post »  
  • dealer@678
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:42pm

    I love that kid !!! Now more than ever.

    Report Post »  
  • Windsong
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:19pm

    Hey, guess what media…it’s none of your business.

    Perhaps Mr. Lin wasn’t outraged like you were about an innocent comment by a good sportscaster and a good man. Perhaps Mr. Lin feels compelled to help a sportscaster, who lost his job senselessly, find another job. Perhaps it was important to Mr. Lin that the sportscaster knew his feelings. Perhaps Mr. Lin wanted to pray with the sportscaster.

    And, perhaps ESPN and the rest of the media have done enough damage to an entire family of a good, honest man.

    Mr. Lin is allowed to go anywhere he wants without a media entourage. The sportscaster no longer works in the media and should be off limits…especially to ESPN. They‘ve done enough damage for what the majority of us didn’t even pay attention to when it was first said.

    I have watched NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN turn into non-factual, angry protagonists. I guess I didn’t expect the same from ESPN.

    As for Mr. Lin, I will pray that he continues to have the strength to be dogged and questioned at every turn. And, no, I don‘t believe that is part of being ’famous’. When he’s on the court or in the locker room, he’s fair game for questions. After that, his life is his own. Personally, I’d make arrangements not to see or speak with any of you outside of the locker room. You ruin too many lives.

    Report Post »  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on March 28, 2012 at 8:07pm

    So, he didn’t meet with him just to say “In your face White boy, whose got what in his armor?”

    Wait, that is what Carmello would have done, JR Smith would have just ran him over with his car.

    Lin is such a class act, that is why he won’t last long in New York. I heard Madonna is trying to get Tebow to go hang out with her, because they are both like a virgin. (That is no joke)

    Jeremy/Tebow, watch out, stay out of the Madonna, it has teeth.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  

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