Banned journalist threatens to expose Canucks for blackmail

Journalists who cover professional sports teams have often found themselves in the crosshairs of the team public relations staff if their coverage starts to get less than flattering, even if what they're reporting is the unfortunate and honest truth. 

For Rob Simpson, who has been banned from covering home Vancouver Canucks games at Rogers Arena for over a year now, he's threatening to come forward with audio proof of a Canucks team employee blackmailing him. 

The exact reason for his having been removed from home coverage at Canucks games at Rogers Arena hasn't been made clear, though he maintains that he was informed that there's no room in the press box for him and that he's considered to be an unqualified media member. 

Take a look at an excerpt from his latest on Vancouver Hockey Insider: 

"Remarkably, and somewhat comically, I’m still not allowed in the press box at Rogers Arena for Vancouver Canucks games. The ban is now 452 days old. Of course, when I asked why, I was originally told “we don’t have to tell you”.

I’m now told it’s because there’s no room for me in the press box and I’m not qualified.

An entertaining full update on this story is coming shortly. It’ll include actual audio of the club’s PR guy threatening to blackmail me. There’s also a new lie.

Welcome to the incestuous, middle school calibre world of Canucks media (relations), which apparently, and again remarkably, has the support of Jim Rutherford, President of Hockey Operations, whom I first met covering the NHL a couple/few decades ago." 

This is certainly going to be something to keep an eye on, especially if Simpson is able to produce proof of a Canucks team employee threatening to blackmail him. 

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