Chad Finn is a sports columnist known for his work and presence in Boston media. Over the years, Finn has been involved in several controversies, raising questions about journalism ethics, professional conduct, and public discourse.
Boston Common
Ethical Concerns in Journalism
One notable incident involved Adam Schefter, a reporter for ESPN, who shared a story with a source, asking for edits. This practice ignited debate about journalistic integrity. According to journalist and ethics specialist Thomas Kent, there’s nothing wrong with clarifying information with a source for accuracy’s sake, but “letting sources review content in any more detail is fraught with potential danger”.
The Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Code of Ethics emphasizes that reporters should “take responsibility for the accuracy of their work” and “verify information before publication”. However, the SPJ Code of Ethics is clear that journalists must “deny favored treatment to… special interests” and “resist… external pressure to influence coverage”.
Sporting News reporter Joe Rivera argues that such danger includes “allow[ing] the source or sources to shift a story, potentially add[ing] bias and most importantly tak[ing] the ‘independent’ out of ‘independent reporting’”. Because they have an “interest in the story being reported a certain way,” “sources often try to influence journalists in order to get more positive coverage”.
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Some readers and journalists have condemned Schefter for breaching ethical journalistic standards. While it’s unclear what edits, if any, Allen made to the story, many have argued that merely asking for them “is already a breach of the journalistic process” because needing to send the full story to a source “makes it look like we have doubts about the whole thrust of our reporting” and hints at incomplete work.
ESPN even backed Schefter saying, “we believe that nothing is more important to Adam and ESPN than providing fans the most accurate, fair and complete story”.
Sports journalist Darren Rovell appears to echo this sentiment, tweeting: “Give me a break. In the end, journalists cannot do their work without collaborating with sources. For this reason, it’s important for journalists to maintain good relationships with those they cover while also ensuring their story is accurate.
However, the SPJ Code of Ethics is clear that journalists must “deny favored treatment to… special interests” and “resist… external pressure to influence coverage”. When preparing to publish their stories, journalists should stop and fully consider the ethical implications of how they verify information with those covered to avoid treading ethically questionable water like Schefter.
Controversial Columns and Public Reactions
Another incident that stirred controversy involved comments made on "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI. Chris Curtis, a producer for the show, was suspended after making a racial slur in reference to ESPN's Mina Kimes. Curtis appeared briefly on "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday to announce that he's being taken off the air until Wednesday of next week, and to apologize for the comments.
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Curtis claimed he meant to say the name of American actress Mila Kunis. "But for reasons I don't understand, I said Mina Kimes. That was never the intention for me to say her name, it had nothing to do with the subject matter. And it dragged her into a controversy through no fault of her own regarding a slur, her race, and is not at all what my intention was," Curtis stated.
In his apology on air, Curtis claimed he meant to say the name of American actress Mila Kunis. “But for reasons I don’t understand, I said Mina Kimes. That was never the intention for me to say her name.
Chad Finn is a sports columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Favorite Sports Writer in Boston in the annual Channel Media Market and Research Poll for the past four years.
Chris Curtis
“I want to apologize to Mina Kimes. I want to apologize for the stupid, lame attempt at a joke. It was something that just, there's really no other way to put it. It was dumb and it was silly," Curtis said Thursday. "And it's brought a lot of things to the forefront for people that did nothing wrong. And it was all because I had a clumsy attempt to try and bring humor to a story in Boston.
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The slur references Japanese people, though Kimes is of Korean descent on her mother's side. “That was never the intention for me to say her name. It had nothing to do with the subject matter, and it dragged her into a controversy through no fault of her own regarding a slur and her race and it’s not at all what my intention was.“But it doesn’t matter because of the absolute chaos that my words created for someone who is just doing her job covering the NFL at ESPN.”
Curtis also apologized to the show’s listeners and noted that working at WEEI is “the dream of my life and not a privilege I take lightly.” It was something that was … there’s really no other way to put it, it was dumb and it was silly,” he said.
Journalism & Ethics in The Digital Age: Navigating Ethical Challenges & Opportunities - Prof Lai Oso
"A Drive into Deep Left Field by Castellanos" Incident
Another incident, though not directly involving Finn, gained widespread attention and became a cultural phenomenon. Thom Brennaman, a baseball announcer for the Cincinnati Reds, made a homophobic slur during a broadcast. Brennaman had been replaced in the middle of the broadcast for a hot mic gaffe in which he said "one of the fag capitals of the world."
He gave an on-air apology later on, during which Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos hit a home run; Brennaman interrupted his apology to call the home run, describing the hit as a "drive into deep left field by Castellanos" before continuing. The slur was not heard over the cable and satellite feed of the game, but rather on MLB's out-of-market MLB.TV streaming service.
Brennaman's on-air apology included the now infamous line: "Um, I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I'm so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith-as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run, and so that'll make it a 4-0 ballgame".
On September 25, 2020, after Brennaman announced his resignation, Reds CEO Bob Castellini issued a statement calling the announcer a "fantastic talent and a good man who remains part of the Reds family forever". After the incident, Brennaman began working with LGBT outreach groups such as the Children's Home of Northern Kentucky and PFLAG.
On July 21, 2024, Brennaman announced that he would return to broadcasting as the lead commentator for CW Football Saturday. On that same day, Castellanos hit a home run, leading to the commentator of the game repeating Brennaman's famous phrase.
Ahead of the football game between Boston College and Syracuse in November, Brennaman alluded to the incident while discussing both teams' quarterbacks, placing emphasis on the surname of the unrelated Boston College player Thomas Castellanos and smirking at the camera as he called, "Couple of good quarterbacks in this one. You know about Kyle McCord, we'll also see Thomas Castellanos!
The phrase "a drive into deep left field by Castellanos" became a meme, often used to interrupt serious or somber moments. Both Nick and Jessica Castellanos have expressed awareness of the jokes.
Nick Castellanos
Here's a timeline of notable events coinciding with Nick Castellanos' home runs:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 11, 2021 | On the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Castellanos hit a home run to left field in the third inning of a 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. |
| July 13, 2024 | Castellanos hit a home run to give the Phillies the lead over the Oakland Athletics the same day Donald Trump was shot in an assassination attempt. |
| March 18, 2025 | On the same day Eagles defensive player Brandon Graham announced his retirement from the NFL after 15 seasons with Philadelphia, Castellanos hit a home run into deep left field in a spring training game on his first plate appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates. |
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