Matt Lauer still thinks he got a raw deal when NBC sacked Ann Curry from the Today Show (although we should point out, not as raw of a deal as Curry herself).

Lauer spoke with Esquire and says that out of his 20 years at Today, 18 have been great. The 2 bad years he blames on the media coverage of him screwing over Ann Curry.

Lauer says "the way the media treated what happened with Ann Curry was a disappointing learning experience. I was disappointed by the laziness of the media, the willingness to read a rumor, repeat that rumor, and treat it as a fact. And yet, what were my options? Does anyone want to see a person who’s making the money that the newspapers say I’m making complaining, “Woe is me, my life is terrible, and people are being unfair”? No one would’ve had any patience for that. I wouldn’t have any patience for that. So you just shut up and go about doing your job and hope that people who know you well — your friends and your family — know what’s true.

If I were to write a contract and put it in front of a group of young broadcasters and journalists, and on this piece of paper it said, “You’re going to have twenty years as host of the Today show, and eighteen of those years are going to be so unbelievably fantastic that you’re going to think you’re living in a fantasy world. And one or two of those years is going to be incredibly frustrating and challenging,” don’t you think every single one of those young broadcasters and journalists would grab that paper out of my hand and sign on the dotted line? 

More at Esquire.com