Ian Rapoport breaks silence on wild Starbucks confrontation with Jordan Schultz

The NFL Combine’s top story had absolutely nothing to do with football. Indianapolis was buzzing over a confrontation between two reporters, Ian Rapoport and Jordan Schultz. Starbucks was the location of a verbal altercation between the insiders, taking the internet by storm.

For the first time since the incident, Rapoport has spoken extensively on the subject. “Amusing” was the word he used to describe the situation a few weeks removed. More than anything, Rapoport was impressed with how quickly news got around.

“It was all ridiculous. Again, I’m not blind to the world,” Rapoport said via Awful Announcing. “I would say, looking back, it was a little amusing. I was part of it, I guess? I really, honestly, was just standing there. But I was part of it, I guess? It was sort of amusing, and people got a real kick out of it.

“I mean, doing something like that in front of 50 reporters, I’ve never seen news travel faster. I mean, it was ridiculous. Freaking [Mike] Florio had the whole thing, including what [Schultz] said to me, two hours later — ridiculous. Now, as a professional gossip, I respect it. It was all amusing.”

Rapoport admits to not knowing Schultz too well. While there is some serious competition inside the NFL scoops business, nothing has even spilled over to this level. Schefter is the main rival but Rapoport said he could not imagine something similar brewing between the two.

One thing Rapoport would not describe the moment as is a fight. He says there was no back-and-forth between them, just Schultz getting in Rapoport’s face.

“The crazy thing, for me, is like, I didn’t do anything,” Rapoport said. “I literally just stood there while somebody screamed in my face. That has not happened very often. Like, we all do this. We all work very hard, but no one has ever taken it personal like that. People are like, ‘Did you just get into a fight with a Fox freelancer?’ And I’m like, ‘I didn’t get into a fight with anyone. I stood there while someone screamed in my face, saying things that I’ve never said or even heard of.”

The NFL’s next big event will take place in Green Bay when the 2025 NFL Draft takes place. Hopefully, Rapoport and Schultz get their coffees at a different time. Or maybe cooler heads can prevail and there can be a coming together.