After watching UCLA football signee Aaron Meyer’s
nationally televised interview in which he alleged he was offered
to have a woman sent to his room during an official recruiting trip
to the University of Colorado, his family has decided to retain
attorney Timothy Meche to seek legal advice for possible action
against ESPN.
Speaking on behalf of Meyer’s family, Meche said Kelly
Neal, the ESPN reporter who interviewed Meyer, manipulated and
misled him about the interview’s intentions.
On Tuesday, the cable network’s show “Outside the
Lines” aired an interview with Meyer in which he alleged that
questionable behavior occurred during his recruiting visit to CU in
January. Meyer alleged Buffalo linebacker Chris Hollis, his host
player, took him and other recruits to parties where they took part
in underage drinking and later offered to have a woman sent to
Meyer’s hotel room.
“It’s the ultimate irony. They’re doing a
story on major colleges on how they exploit players for their
game,” Meche said. “But the tape aired all day
(Wednesday), and they put (Meyer’s) face on the Web site.
Who’s exploiting who?”
Meyer, from John Curtis Christian High in River Ridge, La., also
admitted in the interview to being taken to a strip club by
Hollis.
CU and Hollis vehemently have denied all Meyer’s
allegations regarding offers of a woman being sent to his room, but
Hollis was suspended for the season opener for taking his recruits
to the strip club.
Both Meche and J.T. Curtis, Meyer’s high school coach,
said Neal called Curtis to request an interview with Meyer to
discuss general recruiting and his signing with UCLA, not
specifically his trip to CU. Meyer was unprepared for the latter,
they say.
“Right from the beginning of the interview, she went into
the subject of Colorado,” Meche said. “(Meyer)
didn’t know he could stand up and walk out. He was
ambushed.”
Meche would not comment on what was said by Meyer in the
interview but added that nothing of the sort of behavior that was
described in the interview went on while Meyer visited UCLA.
Curtis said when Neal called him looking for Meyer, she never
informed him the interview was for television.
It was only when Meyer called Neal back that she informed the
18-year-old she was already in New Orleans and ready to meet with
him.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Curtis
said. “And it’s the first time that I have ever felt I
wasn’t dealt with in a professional manner.
“After I found out what the interview was about, I felt
she should have identified herself and the angle, which she did not
do,” Curtis said, referring to Neal’s status as a
television reporter and her story intentions.
Neal would not comment on the situation except to say she stood
by her story.
ESPN spokesman Dan Quinn reiterated the sentiment.
“We aired what we felt comfortable with, and we will
continue to stand by the story,” he said.
Meyer engaged in the interview without first contacting his
parents. Upon learning of the interview, his parents asked Neal to
show them the video, but she refused.
According to Meche, Neal initially told the Meyer family there
would be nothing controversial involved with the interview.
“His parents kept asking what the interview was about, and
they lied to the parents, saying it wasn’t a big deal,”
Meche said.
Meche said he was not sure what legal action the family may take
against ESPN at this point, noting the family would do whatever was
in Meyer’s best interest.