Someone owes Nate Allen an apology

Forget Brian Williams.

And Bill O'Reilly, too, for that matter.

Want to discuss a real media problem? Talk to Nate Allen.

Allen, for those of you who are not sports fans, has been a starting safety for the Eagles the past couple of years. He's been part of a secondary that has had more than its share of issues.

I can admit to being one of his biggest critics.

None of that compares to what happened to him last week.

Allen was in his home town of Fort Myers, Fla., when he was detained by police for four hours. I won't go into the nasty nature of the allegations that swirled around Allen. Suffice it to say they were not exactly complimentary.

Here's what you need to know. Allen was never charged with a crime. He was merely picked up and questioned by police.

That did not stop his name from being splashed all over social media as many media sites, newspapers, radio and TV in connection with this sordid tale.

Yesterday a court in Florida ruled that Allen could not possibly have been the perpetrator that was described in the incident. Turns out he happened to be driving a pickup truck that was similar to another one that may have been involved.

The court cleared Allen of any involvement in the incident.

That's easier said than done.

For me, it once again brings to mind the story of former Labor Secretary Ray Donovan, who after being acquitted of various charges had a simple request: "Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?"

The cruel answer is this: You don't.

At least Donovan had a trial. Allen was never even charged. That did not stop his name from being dragged through the mud in connection with the worst sort of charges. Allen's name was right there, along with the allegation, despite the fact that he was never charged. Today news travels in a heartbeat. I do it every morning, pushing information to readers on Twitter, and posting stories to our website.

I get calls every day from people alleging that so-and-so did this or that and why hasn't there been anything in the paper about it. I always respond the same way: Have any charges been filed? I usually know the answer. The silence on the other end of the line confirms it. Our policy is pretty simple: No charges, no story.

Someone owes Nate Allen an apology.