ESPN's Adam Schefter Is Doing Ads For 5-Hour Energy, Like A Schmuck

Have a listen to the radio spot up above, which was brought to our attention by a thread over on SportsJournalists.com. In it, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shills for 5-Hour Energy, an energy drink marketed as a supplement that is more or less liquid crack for the bro set (and which is not without some baggage, having been cited in 13 deaths from 2009-2012).

Schefter is far from the only on-air ESPN talent hawking a product; we highlighted dozens of ESPN endorsements a few years ago, and we've also noted some other ESPN personalities shilling for a questionable sponsor. To ESPN's credit, they did finally update their endorsements list, though Schefter doesn't appear on it.

What's a little strange about this one is that Schefter is an actual reporter. He's not an ex-jock or ex-coach, like Keyshawn Johnson (Under Armor) or Bob Knight (Baden basketballs), nor is he a TV personality, like Chris Berman (Nutrisystem) or Dick Vitale (everything). He's a famously hard-working reporter, the sort of guy you'd stick on the most important stories on the beat—like, say, an NFL player dropping dead because he was popping energy supplements.

Update (5:05 p.m.): An ESPN spokesperson says Schefter's endorsement was approved through "the normal process."