Veteran lawyer, journalist and former Yale football player Jack Ford addressed a luncheon crowd at the NCAA convention Wednesday, discussing society's perception of athletes and how it's influenced by the media.

Ford, who played at Yale from 1969-71, pointed to the media's handling of high-profile cases such as the Duke lacrosse scandal and said the cases contribute to a public perception of athletes as "rogues."

Known for his work with NBC News and as anchor of "Jack Ford: Courtside" on In Session, Ford told the crowd to promote the positive stories from within their academic programs and urged the media to balance coverage of athletics with its success stories.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia State fell to 1-9 on the season and remained winless in Sun Belt play after a 30-18 home loss to Marshall on Saturday. (Stan Awtrey/AJC)

Credit: AJC

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray