Worry about team, Freddie, not leaks

Freddie Kitchens basically declared war on the media Monday following training camp practice, targeting leaks.

“The days of inside information and the days of unnamed sources and stuff like that have ended,” the Browns’ head coach told the assembled media at the club’s Berea headquarters. “You are not going to get any information like that ever (from) anybody.

“If I ever see it, they’re fired immediately. That’s the way we’re running this organization. I can take it. (General Manager) John Dorsey can take it. We will not crack. I promise you.”

To which I say, “Good luck.”

That’s like waving a gigantic red flag in front of the people whose main job is to dispense as much information about the team as possible. Mass media these days dictates knowing as much as possible as soon as possible.

Leaks have been around for decades, even centuries. Whether it’s the sports world, political world, entertainment world, business world or any world that deals with the media, they cannot be stopped.

Unnamed sources, sources familiar with a situation speaking only if granted anonymity, are the lifelines to journalists, both the print media and electronic media. That’s just the way it works.

I know because I worked on both sides of the media aisle for more than 40 years. Leaks these days are different than when I was involved only because there are so many more outlets.

Kitchens’ warning apparently stems from an interview former Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie did with a national talk radio show a few days ago. It dealt critically with the inner workings of last season’s team and was not flattering.

Kitchens, sounding more like a dictator than football coach, can try all he wants to stop leaks. It won’t work. Savvy journalists will always find out a way to ferret out a story. They have ways of protecting leakers.

It happens all over the sports world, especially when some executive, be it a coach, a manager or a front office heavyweight, wants to put pressure on a person or people in the organization and “leaks” important information.

Leaking from the top is not exactly new in the business world. Happens all the time. The least suspicious person, of course, is the top dog; the guy (or gal) at the top of the food chain.  If it’s a means to an end, it will be leaked.

And there is no way Kitchens or anyone else in the Browns’ organization is going to stop an angry player agent, for example, from getting something off his chest by picking up his cell phone and contacting a friendly (to him) media type.

That’s often times how stories are broken on all fronts. Cultivate relationships with those on the periphery. Help me and I’ll help you. Sort of a quid pro quo.

So good luck, Freddie. It sure looks as though you have no idea how the media operates. But you have succeeded in one area: Scaring everyone on your coaching staff and a few front-office types. Concentrate on coaching your football team and don’t worry about the leaks. They’re coming.

Prediction: This will not end well.