CBS sports reporter leaked Josh Allen MVP news

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New York Jets v Buffalo Bills
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Are the NFL Honors rigged — why did Tracy Wolfson know Allen was MVP more than an hour before the broadcast?

There’s plenty of speculation, all of which took an uptick this year, in just how early people know which players have won at the NFL Honors. This year, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen showed up with his entire entourage: family, coaches, and team management.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was absent. Last year, the scenario was reversed — as was the winner.

So, had the quarterbacks been tipped off? Did they know ahead of time which one of them won? Probably. But how good is the NFL at keeping secrets?

Obviously, they want fans to keep laying bets and keep conversations going on social media platforms. And that’s where this year’s question comes from.

Tracy Wolfson, CBS’s lead sports reporter and host of We Need To Talk, posted a bombshell on social media more than half an hour before the broadcast got to the point in the show where they would announce this year’s AP NFL MVP. Wolfson congratulated Allen on being named this year’s MVP while the quarterback was still sitting in his seat helping Snoop Dog take shots at people, himself included, while waiting for his big moment.

The post has since been deleted, and Wolfson has reposted Adam Schefter’s post — one that had been posted after Allen accepted the award.

However, both Wolfson and Schefter used the same image — one that was posted first by ML Football, a site that is notorious for mixing real news with confrontational posts designed to keep conversations moving and direct traffic to their site. ML Football had actually posted theirs before the NFL Honors show even began.

Of course, the site has also removed their “early” post and replaced it with a later one while taking shots at Allen’s former teammates.

Readers were hesitant to believe Wolfson when she first posted and later were critical of her timing.

So, the question remains: Was it part of a media package that was already sent out? Were there packages for each of the candidates? How soon do the candidates know what they’ve won (Josh Allen did not act surprised, although he is always composed in front of a camera and behind a microphone)?

How soon does anyone else know (Dion Dawkins was doing all he could to look at the iPad to see the award winner’s name and then acted genuinely excited when realizing it was his guy, although he is always the showman when the cameras are rolling)? How soon does the media know? And what happens if any of them leak the news early (because why did Wolfson take her post down)?

But, do all the winners know? And if so, then obviously so would the losers, right? Why did Damar Hamlin attend the show two years in a row, and take his parents, if he knew he wouldn’t win the Comeback Player of the Year Award? Is it just “the place to be” for NFL stars?

In a world where the NFL has been accused of being “rigged,” of being “scripted,” and at a time when owners and referees are coming under fan-scrutiny for collusion, did we get another wrinkle? Or is it just a matter of some people not being able to keep a secret?

In the end, Wolfson’s tweet was harmless. And who can blame someone from getting excited to share the great news about Josh Allen!

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