Len Pasquarelli

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Len Pasquarelli is an American sports writer and analyst with ESPN.com and a 25-year vet of covering the NFL. He joined ESPN.com in 2001 and has since become a frequent contributor to the other ESPN outlets, including SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and ESPN The Magazine.

Prior to ESPN, Pasquarelli served as a senior writer for CBS SportsLine.com. He has also covered the NFL for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1989 to 1999, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel from 1985 to 1989, Pro Football Weekly from 1982 to 1985, and Pittsburgh Steelers Weekly from 1978 to 1982.

Pasquarelli is a resident of the Pro Football Writers of America and has twice won national awards as the Best NFL Reporter of the Year. He also has won several writing awards, including a Associated Press Deadline Sports Reporting Award in 1988.

Pasquarelli has been on the committee that selects inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. During the annual selection meeting on February 2, 2008, he fell ill and was taken to an area hospital. The following day he had quintuple bypass surgery. [1]

Pasquarelli is a Pittsburgh native and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA.

[edit] Controversy

Pasquarelli has never been shy about expressing his opinions in online columns.

Pasquarelli has received criticism for columns written about the Washington Redskins. He has admitted openly in ESPN columns that he dislikes the Redskin organization, starting with owner Daniel Snyder.

In November of 2007, he discussed slain Redskin safety Sean Taylor [2], alluding to his "lifestyle" as a likely reason as to why he was shot in his home.

Despite leading his team to the playoffs in two of his final three seasons, Pasquarelli wrote a column in January, 2008 about Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs following his second stint as head coach. In the column, Pasquarelli referred to the three-time Super Bowl champion coach, as "Ordinary Joe," and that Gibbs was "too old to handle his players, to understand their perspectives, to push their buttons (which was disputed by his team)," and is "lucky the Hall of Fame is a lifetime fraternity from which a member can't be expelled." [3].