Adam Schefter is an American sports writer and television analyst. After graduating from University of Michigan and Northwestern University with degrees in journalism, Schefter wrote for several newspapers, including The Denver Post, before working at NFL Network. He then became an NFL insider for ESPN in 2009.
Education and career
Schefter was born to a Jewish family in Valley Stream, New York, and grew up in Bellmore, New York, where he attended John F. Kennedy High School. He graduated in June 1985. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Michigan and a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Schefter was an editor at The Michigan Daily, where he began his newspaper career. While at Northwestern, Schefter worked as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune. After graduating from Northwestern in June 1990, Schefter was an intern for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before moving to Denver in 1990, when he started writing for the Rocky Mountain News in September 1990 and then The Denver Post in July 1996.
Journalism career
Schefter joined the NFL Network in 2004 and appeared on NFL Total Access and also wrote for NFL.com. Before joining the NFL Network, Schefter appeared five times on ESPN's Around the Horn as a substitute for Woody Paige. Paige was based in Denver at the time. Before Around the Horn, Schefter appeared on ESPN's The Sports Reporters. Schefter appeared on NBC twice in the summer of 2008, working as the sideline reporter for Al Michaels and John Madden during the Redskins–Colts Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and then the Redskins–Jaguars preseason finale. According to a USA Today survey of fans published January 19, 2009, "NFL Network's Adam Schefter edged ESPN's Chris Mortensen for best insider despite the NFL Network being in less than half as many U.S. households." Schefter was again selected as the best insider in a November 2010 USA Today fan poll. Schefter was voted USA Today's best "insider" for a third straight year in November 2011. In 2009, Schefter became a football analyst with ESPN. He began appearing on-air on August 17, 2009. In October 2010, Sports Illustrated writers included Schefter in its "Top 40," a listing of the NFL's top officials, executives, coaches, players and media members. In 2014, Schefter was the recipient of multiple awards, including being named the "Most Influential Tweeter in New York" by New York magazine in February, "Best Newsbreaker" by the sports media website Awful Announcing in its second annual People's Sports TV Award Winners in May, and SI.com's “Media Person of the Year.” In November 2015, Schefter was named The Cynopsis Sports Media Personality of the Year, which is presented annually to an individual whose work in the sports industry has transcended how sports connect with fans. In the same year, he was named honorable mention for Sports Illustrated Now's 2015 Media Person of the Year, and 2015 Sports Media Personality of the Year by the Tampa Bay Times. Schefter joined the NBA on ESPN team for multiple games as a sideline reporter in 2017. His first assignment was February 15 between the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. ESPN presented Schefter with the opportunity to work select NBA games as part of his new contract. In February 2017, ESPN Audio launched Schefter's "Know Them From Adam" podcast, featuring long-form conversations with newsmakers who have a connection to football.
Controversy
On July 9, 2015, Schefter tweeted a medical chart photo indicating that Jason Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated. On February 5, 2016, it was reported that two individuals were fired from Jackson Memorial Hospital after a lengthy investigation for violating HIPAA laws. Pierre-Paul sued Schefter and ESPN for breach of privacy in September 2016. In February 2017, Pierre-Paul and ESPN settled the lawsuit.
Personal
In 2007, Schefter married Sharri Maio, eleven months after meeting her on a blind date. Schefter had been married once before, but it ended in divorce; Sharri's prior husband, Joe Maio, had been killed in the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks. Sharri brought Devon, her son with Joe who was born in the year 2000, into the marriage with Schefter. Schefter and Sharri have a daughter together named Dylan. Schefter's book about his wife's first husband, and his own life joining the family after Joe's death, was released in 2018. It is called The Man I Never Met.
Movie appearances
Schefter had a cameo appearance in the 2005 movie The Longest Yard.
