Biography

Born in Denver, raised in Boulder and Anchorage, Alaska. I grew up playing football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and running track. At Robert Service High School, I signed up for the student newspaper Cougarosity—and earned a letter in journalism before athletics. That told me everything I needed to know about my future.

University of Missouri School of Journalism, 2000. I was fortunate to study under extraordinary teachers and alongside remarkable classmates: Wright Thompson, Justin Heckert, Tony Rehagen, Steve Walentik, Robert Sanchez, Bill Reiter, Aamer Madhani, and Mark Greenblatt. Summer internships took me to the Anchorage Daily News and KTVA-11 (1997), The Sporting News (1998), and the Washington Post (1999). I wrote daily for the Columbia Missourian and covered Super Bowl XXXIV as a student.

ESPN The Magazine, 2000 onwards. Hired shortly after graduation, I’ve spent my career reporting and writing—profiling Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Bill Belichick, John Elway, Sean McVay, Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr., Bill Walsh, Jim Harbaugh, Alex Honnold, Gregg Popovich, Y.A. Tittle, and countless others. With Don Van Natta Jr., I’ve co-authored investigations into Spygate, Deflategate, the Rams and Raiders relocations, inequality protests, Jerry Jones vs. Goodell, DeMaurice Smith and the NFLPA, and more. I’m also the author of three books.