John Powers

hey, can you believe what happened in last night's game? Then you establish common ground and you become a person rather than just a reporter.

hey, can you believe what happened in last night's game? Then you establish common ground and you become a person rather than just a reporter.

hey, can you believe what happened in last night's game? Then you establish common ground and you become a person rather than just a reporter.

You know, it's never been for me because what I have always done is if someone says something to me that I think might be controversial in some way or it's something I didn't know that would thus be news, I'll usually at that point I'll take out a notebook or something and I'll say, let me make sure I have this – get this right or – Do you mind if I quote you on that?

You know, it's never been for me because what I have always done is if someone says something to me that I think might be controversial in some way or it's something I didn't know that would thus be news, I'll usually at that point I'll take out a notebook or something and I'll say, let me make sure I have this – get this right or – Do you mind if I quote you on that?

You know, it's never been for me because what I have always done is if someone says something to me that I think might be controversial in some way or it's something I didn't know that would thus be news, I'll usually at that point I'll take out a notebook or something and I'll say, let me make sure I have this – get this right or – Do you mind if I quote you on that?

I don't want there to be any doubt. I don't want anybody I'm working with to be surprised. And I have only once in my career had an athlete claim that he thought he was off the record with me. And that was 30 years ago when I was a young reporter at The Post. I got sent to the home of John Riggins, the star running back who was holding out

I don't want there to be any doubt. I don't want anybody I'm working with to be surprised. And I have only once in my career had an athlete claim that he thought he was off the record with me. And that was 30 years ago when I was a young reporter at The Post. I got sent to the home of John Riggins, the star running back who was holding out

I don't want there to be any doubt. I don't want anybody I'm working with to be surprised. And I have only once in my career had an athlete claim that he thought he was off the record with me. And that was 30 years ago when I was a young reporter at The Post. I got sent to the home of John Riggins, the star running back who was holding out

And he was in Lawrence, Kansas, and he was refusing to talk to anybody in the media. And I was the low guy on the totem pole at the Post. And my boss said, just go knock on John Riggins' door and see if he'll talk to you, which I did. And John Riggins basically said, get out of here. I'm not talking to anybody. And I said to him, look, John, if I go back with nothing, I'm going to be fired. Right.

And he was in Lawrence, Kansas, and he was refusing to talk to anybody in the media. And I was the low guy on the totem pole at the Post. And my boss said, just go knock on John Riggins' door and see if he'll talk to you, which I did. And John Riggins basically said, get out of here. I'm not talking to anybody. And I said to him, look, John, if I go back with nothing, I'm going to be fired. Right.

And he was in Lawrence, Kansas, and he was refusing to talk to anybody in the media. And I was the low guy on the totem pole at the Post. And my boss said, just go knock on John Riggins' door and see if he'll talk to you, which I did. And John Riggins basically said, get out of here. I'm not talking to anybody. And I said to him, look, John, if I go back with nothing, I'm going to be fired. Right.

And he looked at me, said, I'll call your boss and tell him that I wouldn't talk to you. And I said, that's not good enough. Can't you just tell me what it is you want? And he started talking about that it was the Redskins move and Bobby Beathard, the general manager, needed to do this and that. And I never took out a notebook. And I stood there and I asked him more questions.

And he looked at me, said, I'll call your boss and tell him that I wouldn't talk to you. And I said, that's not good enough. Can't you just tell me what it is you want? And he started talking about that it was the Redskins move and Bobby Beathard, the general manager, needed to do this and that. And I never took out a notebook. And I stood there and I asked him more questions.

And he looked at me, said, I'll call your boss and tell him that I wouldn't talk to you. And I said, that's not good enough. Can't you just tell me what it is you want? And he started talking about that it was the Redskins move and Bobby Beathard, the general manager, needed to do this and that. And I never took out a notebook. And I stood there and I asked him more questions.

And we talked for, I don't know, 10 or 12 minutes. And I went back to my car, wrote down everything I could remember and Didn't quote him specifically, but paraphrased everything that he had said to me in the story. And when another TV reporter called Riggins the next day and said, why would you talk to that guy when you're friends with us and you don't even know him?

And we talked for, I don't know, 10 or 12 minutes. And I went back to my car, wrote down everything I could remember and Didn't quote him specifically, but paraphrased everything that he had said to me in the story. And when another TV reporter called Riggins the next day and said, why would you talk to that guy when you're friends with us and you don't even know him?

And we talked for, I don't know, 10 or 12 minutes. And I went back to my car, wrote down everything I could remember and Didn't quote him specifically, but paraphrased everything that he had said to me in the story. And when another TV reporter called Riggins the next day and said, why would you talk to that guy when you're friends with us and you don't even know him?

Riggins said, well, I thought we were off the record. And when the guy called me from the TV station and said, John said he thought you were off the record. I said, did he really think I flew to Lawrence, Kansas because I was personally curious about his contract? And that's the only time anybody has ever said to me, geez, I thought we were off the record.

Riggins said, well, I thought we were off the record. And when the guy called me from the TV station and said, John said he thought you were off the record. I said, did he really think I flew to Lawrence, Kansas because I was personally curious about his contract? And that's the only time anybody has ever said to me, geez, I thought we were off the record.