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ESPN's Howard Bryant (allegedly) pulls a Jay Mariotti

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by NickMordo, Feb 28, 2011.

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  1. Pancamo

    Pancamo Active Member

    Both charged with domestic violence. One gets fired. One stays.

    Seems like the precedent was set when ESPN fired Mariotti for domestic violence.

    Why would one stay and the other go?
     
    Pancamo, Feb 28, 2011
    #13
  2. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member


    Because employers can do whatever the hell they want. Unless there's a union at ESPN that both belong to.
     
    TheSportsPredictor, Feb 28, 2011
    #14
  3. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    because employers have discretion on who they keep and who they fire.
     
    JC, Feb 28, 2011
    #15
  4. Cousin Jeffrey

    Cousin Jeffrey Active Member

    Mariotti was an independent contractor for that one TV show.

    From what I read and heard on his podcast with Whitlock, they had a clause that said they could stop using him whenever they wanted, with some cause obviously. When FanHouse let him go, he thinks ESPN just said I guess we should too.

    Bryant, I'm sure, has some kind of conduct clause in his deal too. We'll see what happens. He might want to lay low and just work on a book for awhile to get out of public scrutiny this type of thing brings on.

    I love his work, which I can't say about Mariotti, or obviously Salisbury.
     
    Cousin Jeffrey, Feb 28, 2011
    #16
  5. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Where did you find Whitlock's podcast? I couldn't find it on iTunes.

    ESPN didn't fire Tirico.
     
    Mizzougrad96, Feb 28, 2011
    #17
  6. Susan Slusser

    Susan Slusser Member

    I hope everyone has seen the most recent story with comments from Howard and Veronique, which should soundly dispel the idea that Howard committed assault. This sounds very much like an overreaction by the police, with hints of racial bias. I hope this all blows over very quickly.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6167142
     
    Susan Slusser, Feb 28, 2011
    #18
  7. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    Mariotti wasn't a full-time employee of ESPN. Completely different scenario.

    ESPN is designed so that no one is indispensable; no one is bigger than the job. If Bristol thinks your image is a detriment, you're gone. Plenty of talent out there.
     
    21, Feb 28, 2011
    #19
  8. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    Just asking, I don't know...does this part not make you wonder?:

     
    21, Feb 28, 2011
    #20
  9. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Doesn't matter anyway. Unless there is some Connecticut state law I'm unaware of, employees have no legal obligation to treat employees the same. If it were the other way around - ESPN keeps Jay and fires Howard - then Howard might have a case that it was a race-based different treatment. But even that would be a big hurdle to clear as long as ESPN could somehow differentiate the two situations, which I'm sure it could.

    Think about it in coaching terms. For example, couldn't Vinny Del Negro have sued the Chicago Bulls for treating him differently, i.e. having a quicker hook, than Tim Floyd if this were the standard? Employers have to have some discretion.
     
    Dick Whitman, Feb 28, 2011
    #21
  10. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Yup. Makes me wonder.

    But my "what can you bet really happened here" barometer tells me that a black guy was having a heated argument with his wife outside a pizza place in a small town. Someone in the pizza place called the police. The police pulled him over down the road, saw a black guy in a car and got all chippy with him. The black guy didn't stay all quiet, got threatened with a taser and then got really pissed off. And he ended up with a resisting arrest charged tacked onto the domestic assault charge. The police, meanwhile, found four other people who "saw" the assault take place. You know, after the people in the pizza place -- who probably all know each other -- had some time to discuss what had happened and confirm the details with each other and get their memories all crystal clear.

    Do I know that to be true? Nope. Is it way too often true? Yup.
     
    The Big Ragu, Feb 28, 2011
    #22
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Those are a lot of steps in between your theory and the simplest explanation.
     
    Dick Whitman, Feb 28, 2011
    #23
  12. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    Yeah, throwing out the race card is a GREAT way to sweep it under the rug quickly.

    Works every time.
     
    poindexter, Feb 28, 2011
    #24
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