I actually think it has a lot to do with Jeff Duncan's article. Once Duncan indicated that Sean was not going anywhere while drawing attention to the burnout, Ian pounced. He called attention to Sean's ostensible silence and the lack of an apparent commitment to returning; and, of course, referencing that silence creates a vacuum for others to then interpret what it means--everything from Sean is taking off a year and then planning to go to coach another team to he is being wooed by Fox and other media outlets (which is not something altogether new).
Edit: And of course it all benefits the league.