An NHL Broadcaster Was Fired For Leaking Draft Picks: Report
The circumstances of broadcaster Jeff Marek's departure from Sportsnet were suspicious.
A veteran presence on the Canadian network's coverage of the NHL, Marek was assigned to report from the floor of the 2024 Draft in Las Vegas. But as his popular Twitter/X feed attests — Marek has more than 244,000 followers as of this writing — he's more or less disappeared from the public eye since.
On July 26, Marek announced that he was "moving on" from Sportsnet:
After 13 great years at Sportsnet, I’m moving on. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m thankful to have worked alongside so many great people and played a role in bringing sports and hockey news to fans across Canada and the world. More to come soon.- Jeff
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) July 26, 2024A new report Thursday in The Athletic sheds light on the reason why.
According to the report by Katie Strang, Marek leaked information about which teams were drafting which players to veteran scout Mark Seidel. In addition to running his own scouting service and his role with the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts, Seidel has occasionally provided draft content for ESPN. Both were at the Las Vegas Sphere for the first round of the draft on 28.
Writes Strang:
Seidel and Marek have known each other for years, according to two people with knowledge of their relationship. Seidel has made multiple appearances on podcasts with Marek, including to talk about prospects in advance of the annual draft.
In Las Vegas, Seidel correctly predicted several picks on X, which prompted concerns that Marek had informed Seidel who those teams were picking.
The NHL shared concerns about the situation with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which probed further, according to multiple sources briefed on that investigation.
Although the Board did not comment on the Marek situation specifically, the rules for someone in Marek's position sharing insider information about draft picks with a non-insider (such as Seidel) are strict. Strang cites anonymous sources with the NHL and in the media who claim Marek shared the information with Seidel so Seidel could prepare to offer analysis on social media — not to further his sports betting hobby.
Strang also notes that Seidel, who declined to answer questions for her story, deleted a number of social media posts he made on the night of the draft.
If Marek's departure from Sportsnet is a direct result of his violating the Nevada protocols, it's a shame. Strang's reporting suggests he was merely trying to help a friend do his job, and possibly did not realize he was breaking a rule that could cost him his job.
Sportsnet has a $5.2 billion, 12-year rights agreement with the NHL. According to the Toronto Sun, the NHL has an agreement with an outside company that specializes in external integrity and compliance to monitor coverage of the draft.
In addition to his on-camera work, Marek co-hosts the popular "32 Thoughts" podcast with Elliotte Friedman.
