Bri Willy Announces Time Off

NBC really loves Bri Willy.

Alas, all NBC's horses and all NBC's men couldn't put Bri Willy together again - at least for a while.

Brian Williams announced that he's freed up his schedule a bit.

He's taking himself off the NBC Nightly News for the "next several days."

#Williams does not face investigation, stepped aside voluntarily, source says http://t.co/Vi0kaNISuY via @HowardKurtz pic.twitter.com/LRiqnB9c5t
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 8, 2015

From the Washington Post:

Brian Williams said Saturday that he will step aside as anchor of his nightly NBC News broadcast for “several days” as a result of the controversy generated by his comments about his reporting during the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.

With his troubles mounting by the day, Williams said he had decided to take himself off his signature newscast, “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” while NBC looks into statements he has made about his work in interviews stretching back more than a decade.

Here's the beloved Bri Willy's statement about taking some time away from the anchor desk:

In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.

As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.

So Williams is talking about his return to his anchor duties.

He's going to "continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us."

Clearly, Williams is nuts.

He's not trustworthy. End of story. No embellishment required.

Nonetheless, Williams states he will return.



Sure, Bri Willy, you keep talking about that return of yours.

If NBC is interested in being respected as a serious news operation, you're not coming back.

However, I'm not convinced NBC does care about journalistic integrity. I think NBC's hope is Bri Willy can ride this out.

From FOX News:

[A]ccording to the source, NBC is not conducting an internal investigation of its anchor, as has been widely reported. The network is engaging in journalistic fact-gathering so it can respond to questions about the crisis created by Williams’ false story about having been in a helicopter in Iraq that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. That means there will be no report with a finding on his conduct, this person says.

Williams knows that he needs to address the situation beyond the botched apology this week that made matters worse. And he has a prime forum coming up: An appearance scheduled for Thursday on CBS’s “Late Show” with David Letterman.

Williams is strongly considering keeping the appearance and using it as an opportunity to clear the air and address the lingering questions, the source says, but no final decision has been made.

Williams made a fool of Letterman in 2013, but Letterman doesn't seem to care, certainly not if he permits Williams to use his show to try to save himself.

After being publicly disgraced in 2009 with his sex scandal, maybe Letterman empathizes with Bri Willy's pain and suffering and public humiliation.

What a disgusting dance that would be, Williams offering his mea culpa on the set where he spun his lies!

An appearance on a late night talk show is not going to fix this. Williams will always be the big liar.

NBC needs to realize that it's time to sever its relationship with storyteller extraordinaire Bri Willy.
 
NBC's Choice: Protect Williams or protect the integrity of NBC News. It's impossible to do both.


The Question: Have you no sense of decency, NBC? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

We'll see. It could go either way.