I think what is lost in most of this chatter is that not very much of the 7,000 words we wrote for this story was attributed to an unnamed source.
We had multiple people on the record extensively, and the Donovan/Rudy angle was very small and frankly not the focus of the story itself.
The quote in question came from a reliable unnamed source. It became the money line of the story because Bleacher report and other aggregators picked it up and ran with it. I was disappointed in that, because me and sam and shams spent a month reporting the entire story and working on every detail, a process that started the day I started quarantine.
I think it's one of the best projects I've been a part of. I will say I think the Donovan and Rudy stuff eventually works itself out. The Jazz are too solid an organization, with too solid an infrastructure and culture. And Donovan and Rudy are genuinely good guys who I like and respect.
That being said, I wish more of the focus in the aftermath of this story dropping was on the tremendous context and details of that night because it was a surreal experience for all involved.