Listen: Cowley Sheds More Light On Rose-Bulls Tension Report
(CBS) A day after Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said "consider the source" when asked what he thought about Sun-Times writer Joe Cowley and his report in which star guard Derrick Rose acknowledged -- on the record -- past tension with the organization and pledged this is a "new beginning," Cowley joined Mully and Hanley on Monday morning to shed more light on a story that's been the talk of the town for days now.
"His skin has turned paper thin over the years," Cowley said of Reinsdorf, who also owns the White Sox.
"If you don't want checks and balances in professional sports -- which I think you need checks and balances in politics and professional sports -- don't charge people to come to see your product.
"When you have a fan base and are charging that fan base, they should be able to understand how this thing is working, where this thing is heading. Do I want to invest my money in this thing?
"If there's a story to be told, it has to be told. And this had to be told."
Cowley reiterated his belief that the strong statement that the Bulls released last Thursday night in which Reinsdorf called the report "pure malicious fiction" only made the situation worse.
"To me it wasn't even breaking news that there was friction between the Bulls and Derrick Rose's camp," Cowley said. "That's been acknowledged and whispered about for years. So where he gets this 'malicious fiction' term is kind of a head-scratcher."
Rose made comments to ESPN on Friday night backtracking off what he'd first told Cowley.
"It's funny just hearing so many stories about what's going on, and they're coming out kind of out of nowhere," Rose said.
In response to that, Cowley said: "It's a shame -- actually at the end of the day, that article was supposed to be about Derrick Rose taking control of his own voice, being a leader. And then sure enough, he does that and his own organization and the man in charge of his organization steps on his throat and tells him, 'No, this is what you're to say and is what you're going to do and we have to fix this and there's no problem here.' That's a shame."
Cowley and Reinsdorf have butted heads in the past as well over Cowley's reporting several years ago that there was friction between then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and some in the franchise. Guillen eventually left to manage the Marlins.
Listen to the full interview below, as Cowley also talks about how Rose is looking to become more of a leader and how Rose played in Las Vegas at Team USA's mini-camp.