Letter to the Sports Editor ... I will not allow Mr Daniels to besmirch my character

Letter to the Sports Editor … I will not allow Mr Daniels to besmirch my character

Oct 24, 2016 Sports

Dear Editor,
I respond to a letter published on October 22 in the Kaieteur News by Mr Forbes Daniels, Manager of Essequibo’s Franchise team in response to a story I wrote on October 16.
I will not allow Mr Daniels to besmirch my character and reputation as a journalist and I clarify what transpired at Tuschen.
Mr Hyles, the Essequibo Head Coach told me I could quote him on the non-support of the ECB. Mr Hyles is a Berbician and the person in charge of the technical aspects of the cricket so I asked the Manager, (who speaks about off the field matters) if he was like Joel Garner (West Indies Manager) knowing the truth and not speaking about it?
He said he was not scared to talk and I could write what he said, which I did. But Daniels now has a problem with me attributing the comments to him.
Daniels called to say he was told that he should not speak against his employers (the ECB) and wanted to retract the article. I told him that the story will remain as it is because there was nothing the Editor or I could do because it had already been published.
He asked if I recorded what he said and I said I just wrote it on my pad. Daniels informed he was the only Coach in Essequibo and it would look like he was disrespectful to the board and would say he never spoke to me about anything. I said I stood by the story and advised him to write a letter or call my Editor. If he had told me not to mention his name, I could have written the same things and attributed them to ‘sources close to the team’ or don’t do the story.
Daniels asks, “What is so special about me Forbes Daniels that I’m the one Mr. Devers chose to be the base for his article?”
Nothing is special about Mr Daniels. If he was famous, using his name would have strengthened the story. If I said a source told me about the issues with the team and I mentioned what Mr Hyles said, the story would have been just as impacting.
Why would I put my reputation at stake by pretending that Daniels said what he said?
“It is astonishing how our country’s leading Sports Journalist has written an article where he claims to quote me and said that a group of men including Mr. Devers (were) having a discussion and I was the only person he chose to quote,” Daniels says in his letter.
“Where is his quote from the others? And more so, why did he not quote Mr. Michael F. Hyles head coach of the Essequibo Franchise team who told him to quote him about the non support from the board. Why did he not quote the umpire who spoke about the condition of the Hostel? Why didn’t he quote the former Executive of the Guyana Cricket Board who spoke about the level of cricket being played?” he continued.
I quoted Mr Daniels because he said I could do so and now he is implicating others so that if he is penalized for standing up for his players and did what is right, he will have company going down with him.
I did not quote the Umpire because he asked me not to but Daniels had to let the public know that he told me about the Hostel.
Maybe out of fear of being removed as Manger he is now saying he never said those things. He is exactly like Garner. A Manager and Coach are supposed to protect the players. I also quoted Coach Hyles talking about the ‘cricket’.
I did a story on Mr Alvin Johnson the ‘former Executive of the Guyana Cricket Board’ and quoted him on the level of cricket being played in an interview for another story. He is not afraid to talk and use his name and he ‘Managed’ several Guyana teams.
I wrote a story about those who want to speak the truth but quickly get muzzled, and when put under pressure, retreat, claiming they never said the things they did, leaving the people who are fighting for them, on their own.
Don’t flatter yourself Daniels the story was 715 words and not many of those words were about what you told me.
I stand by my story and will put it on my facebook page (Sean Devers) so that the public can see what Daniels is fearful of saying publically.
Bad things continue when good men do nothing.
Sean Devers
International Radio Cricket
Commentator and Sports Journalist

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Letter to the Sports Editor … I will not allow Mr Daniels to besmirch my character

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Letter to the Sports Editor … I will not allow Mr Daniels to besmirch my character

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