Credentialed access to cover professional sports teams is not a right. It’s a privilege. Franchises grant media access to those who actively cover the team or league in a professional manner and have an audience to serve. They have every right to grant access, just as they have the right to pull it. Yesterday, the Tennessee Titans decided to pull social commentator Jared Stillman’s credential, literally a day after Stillman said on his program that the organization was “not that stupid” to do so.
Whether you agree or disagree with the Titans’ decision is irrelevant. What matters most in situations like this is transparency.
This isn’t about whether Stillman should be credentialed. The Titans had already made that decision long ago. They granted him access after his departure from 102.5 The Game and his move to an independent platform. The question now is simple: Why specifically was Stillman’s credential pulled?
Because without transparency, the result is distrust and uncertainty.
Earning Your Coverage
Make no mistake about it, there haven’t been many great things to say about the Tennessee Titans over the past four seasons. Because of the team’s lack of success, there also isn’t much positivity surrounding the franchise at the moment. Stillman’s commentary serves as Exhibit A.
Stillman isn’t alone in his dissent. While his delivery may be more performative than some of his peers in Nashville, the Titans have faced plenty of criticism throughout the market. Following his firing by 102.5 The Game after 10 years with the station, Stillman built his own platform, Stillman and Company, hosting a live afternoon drive program on YouTube and across social platforms for the past year.
His voice never lost its impact. In many ways, his digital approach has amplified both his commentary and engagement.
Before the season began, Stillman applied for credentialed access like any other media organization and received approval. From there, it’s important to look at the other side of the equation.
Stillman was one of the loudest voices criticizing the Titans for hiring 104.5 The Zone host Ramon Foster as the team’s radio analyst. This followed the passing of Dave McGinnis. Stillman called the hire a slap in the face to former Titans players, arguing there were plenty of other options.
That’s a commentator sharing an opinion. He isn’t necessarily wrong, nor is he necessarily right. That’s the nature of commentary. Interpretation is in the eye of the beholder.
Then, last week, Stillman asked quarterback Cam Ward how he would assess his performance during the preseason. Ward threw the question back at him. Stillman responded by sharing his assessment that Ward’s performance had been “not well,” while the quarterback brushed off the critique. You can’t fault Stillman for giving an honest answer to a question the franchise’s quarterback essentially asked him to answer. Stillman delivered exactly that.
In both instances, criticism was shared. That’s no different from what a columnist at a newspaper would have done in a previous media era. That’s the role. To Stillman’s credit, he continued to show up and make himself available if the team had a rebuttal or concern about his actions or commentary.
On Monday, Stillman practically dared the organization to pull his credential, saying the Titans were “not that stupid” to do so.
Yet, here we are. So, the question remains: Why?
Demanding Details
Stillman said Tuesday that the organization told him a “YouTuber” didn’t require media access. Also that the totality of his coverage led to the decision. Stillman has been critical of the organization for many years, so why now? Was asking the quarterback about his own self assessment too much to handle?
The Titans have every right to grant or pull media access as they see fit. What they don’t get to control is how that decision is perceived when they refuse to explain it. If Stillman violated a credentialing policy, the Titans should say so. But be specific.
If the Titans remain silent or vague, the obvious conclusion is that Stillman’s criticism — and his willingness to say what the organization doesn’t want to hear — cost him his access. That’s where this moves beyond a credentialing decision and into something more concerning.
Professional franchises don’t have to agree with a media member. They don’t have to like the questions being asked or the opinions being offered. But when a credential is pulled immediately after pointed criticism and no explanation is provided, it creates the appearance that a dissenting voice is being punished for being dissenting.
The Titans can change that perception with one thing: transparency. Be specific.
Until the Titans explain their decision in more detail, they leave everyone else to decide for themselves why Stillman lost his access. And when an organization refuses to explain why a critical voice has lost access, it’s fair to ask whether this was really about a credential — or whether it was about censorship.
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