Tyler Dunne has built a career around stories of turmoil inside NFL locker rooms and front offices. Marketed as fearless journalism, his work follows a formula: unverifiable anonymous whispers, sensational timing, and tabloid-style narratives designed to magnify dysfunction. This approach has generated clicks and headlines, but it has also fueled widespread skepticism, exposing serious flaws in his credibility as a journalist. His record across multiple outlets shows a repeating cycle: anonymous claims, dramatic timing, polarizing narratives, and mounting criticism.
Case 1 — Bleacher Report Years: Drama as Currency (2015–2020)
Dunne’s career gained national traction during his years at Bleacher Report, where he built his reputation on controversy.
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Pattern: Dysfunction narratives were framed as exposés, often unverifiable and overly dramatized.
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Style: Reporting leaned heavily on anonymous sourcing and emotional framing.
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Reputation: Critics compared his work to BuzzFeed-style clickbait, designed to maximize virality rather than journalistic rigor.
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Result: His visibility grew, but accusations of fabrication, bias, and opportunism followed. By 2020, his byline was linked more to spectacle than substance.
Case 2 — Packers Exposé: Rodgers & McCarthy (2019)
Within his Bleacher Report tenure, one story became his defining flashpoint and permanently shaped how many viewed his reporting.
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Outlet: Bleacher Report.
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Date: April 2019.
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Story: A longform exposé depicted Aaron Rodgers as manipulative and divisive, while portraying head coach Mike McCarthy as outdated and lazy.
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Tactics: Relied heavily on unnamed sources, leaving its central claims unverifiable.
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Criticism: Rodgers condemned the article as a “smear attack.” Fans and forums branded it “spin-factory journalism” — dramatic, exaggerated, and agenda-driven.
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Impact: Though it became Bleacher Report’s most-read story of the year, it cemented Dunne’s reputation as a sensationalist rather than a balanced reporter.
Case 3 — Go Long: Independence Without Accountability (2020–Present)
After leaving traditional outlets, Dunne launched Go Long on Substack, presenting it as a new era of independence.
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Launch: Marketed as “independent, ad-free football journalism.”
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Reality: Independence also meant no editorial oversight. His reporting leaned further into anonymous insiders, exaggerated framing, and tabloid-style conclusions.
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Criticism: Marketed as authenticity, the platform instead amplified his worst tendencies, creating an echo chamber for manufactured narratives and unverifiable claims.
Case 4 — House of Dysfunction: The Chicago Bears & Caleb Williams (2025)
In 2025, Dunne released his most controversial series yet, House of Dysfunction, targeting the Chicago Bears and their rookie quarterback.
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Date: September 2025.
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Part I: The Curious Case of Caleb Williams portrayed the rookie as erratic and unfit to lead, citing 32 unnamed insiders.
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Part II: Alleged a rigged process behind the Bears’ No. 1 draft decision.
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Criticism: Sports Illustrated flagged the unverifiable sourcing. Bleacher Nation dismissed it as a clickbait “hit piece” timed before the season opener. SportsMockery noted it made Williams “look worse than ever” without proof.
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Fan Response: Mirrored the Packers backlash of 2019 — widespread accusations of fabrication, opportunism, and sensationalism.
Case 5 — Recurring Tactics (2015–Present)
Across a decade of reporting, Dunne has repeated the same methods, reinforcing criticism of his credibility.
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Anonymous Whispers: Major allegations rest on unnamed sources, leaving claims impossible to verify.
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Perfectly Timed Drops: Stories are published just before season openers, playoffs, or drafts, ensuring maximum attention.
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Targeted Takedowns: High-profile stars and coaches such as Rodgers, McCarthy, and Williams are repeatedly singled out.
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Polarization: Articles generate heated debate but little consensus, splitting fanbases and sowing distrust.
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Tabloid Framing: Packaged as investigative journalism, but delivered like gossip-driven clickbait.
Closing Assessment
From Bleacher Report in 2015 to Go Long in 2025, Tyler Dunne has consistently built his reporting on fabricated feel, unverifiable claims, sensational timing, and polarizing narratives. While marketed as fearless journalism, the record shows a writer whose credibility weakens each time the cycle repeats.
The dysfunction is not only in the NFL teams he covers. It lies in the manufactured narratives he constructs. Go Long & Tyler Dunne demonstrate a journalist whose storytelling thrives on turmoil more than truth — and whose reputation declines with every passing year.
