Peter Schrager during Fox Sports media day Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
NFLBy Sam Neumann on

On Wednesday, NFL insiders Jordan Schultz of Fox and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network revealed that Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford met at a ski resort in Montana.

The location is clear — no debate there.

But here’s where the story splits: Schultz reported it as a prearranged meeting, with Brady playing host to Stafford. Rapoport, on the other hand, described it as nothing more than a random run-in.

We all remember where we were when news broke about the Starbucks Standoff heard ’round the world. And depending on which side of the aisle you fall on, it all comes down to which version of the story you believe. Was it really just a random encounter in Montana, or does the world really work in such small, convenient ways?

Either way, the NFL seemed to have no issue with the meeting. But while Brady may have been playing matchmaker, the Rams quickly squashed any rumors on Friday, announcing that Stafford would be back for the 2025 season.

So, despite the speculation, nothing materialized from that snowy rendezvous.

Amid the fallout of Stafford spurning the Raiders and the New York Giants, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager made a note about “Trust[ing] the reporters you trust.” Some people in the replies took it as a slight at Schultz, but technically speaking, Schrager works with both Rapoport and Schultz in his dual roles as an NFL Network host and Fox NFL insider.

Whether that was intended as a shot at the son of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is truly anyone’s guess. You can take issue with how Schultz approached Rapoport, with the latter reportedly calling NFL security. But the crux of the matter here is whether you truly believe that two of the most famous people associated with the NFL just happened to run into each other on a Montana mountaintop.

That’s how Rapoport framed it — and how Brady’s agent tried to spin it.

The Rams granted Stafford and his representatives permission to speak with other teams, but whether that lines up with the timing of the alleged Montana meeting is something only Brady and Stafford can clarify. But if you believe these two just happened to run into each other at a ski resort in Montana — of all places — at the exact same time, Schultz has a bridge to sell you.

As for Schrager, he added, “This was a roller coaster of a week for all parties involved. In the end, Stafford is a Ram, but this one was by no means open and shut. Nor was it a leverage play by either side.”

And remember, he was all over the Stafford reporting from the get-go.

Now that the Stafford saga is over, Schrager’s “trust the reporters you trust” hits just a bit differently in the aftermath.

With conflicting reports about that Montana meeting — which ultimately led to a confrontation in an Indianapolis hotel lobby — it seems like Schrager was essentially calling out the noise and reinforcing the importance of reliable sources.

But who are the reliable sources here? Neither Schultz nor Rapoport appear to be inherently wrong, but their versions of events couldn’t be more different. Schultz framed it as a deliberate meeting, while Rapoport insisted it was nothing more than a coincidence. The truth likely falls somewhere in between, but again, perception is everything.

Schrager is right, though; trusting the right voices is key. And when those voices don’t align? Well, that’s when things get interesting.

And that’s when you get a full-scale confrontation at the hotel Starbucks.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann