Jay Mariotti's Redemption Tour Begins With Jason Whitlock's Podcast

Jason Whitlock debuted his new podcast on Fox Sports Radio today with a 45-minute sit-down with Jay Mariotti.

The conversation was impressive on both sides; Whitlock didn't let up on a number of issues (how Mariotti's charge had changed his treatment of athletes and other public figures, and whether or not Mariotti actually feels he did something wrong back in August), and Mariotti expertly pranced around the questions, mostly without the old harshness in his bark. The latter is still the same old hack — listening to him burble about LeGarrette Blount will make you want to throw the remote at television, just out of habit — but at least he now seems to have a glimmer of self-awareness. He insisted the incident with his girlfriend had made him "more introspective" and a "better" person. (He pleaded no contest to a single misdemeanor count of domestic violence and got three years' probation and community service.) The highlights, as we see them, are excerpted above. A change in slide denotes a jump in the conversation. For the entire podcast, including a brief portion at the beginning where Mariotti crucifies himself on Arianna Huffington's lawn, visit the official page of Real Talk with Jason Whitlock.