Jenny Dell removed from Red Sox beat because of relationship with third baseman

Jenny Dell, a Boston Red Sox sideline reporter for NESN, has been in a not-so-secret love affair with Boston third basemen Will Middlebrooks for some time. At least a year. They live together. So NESN finally catches wind of this and reassigns her. Obvious conflict of interest for a journalist and the company had to make the move. She'll stay with NESN, but just do other things.

Still, many believe Dell was wronged and should have been able to keep her position. And not just fans, but Boston media personalities as well. How could there be line of thinking? She had to come off that beat, right? A no-brainer. If she stayed on the beat, it could present myriad issues along the way. So I don't see how anyone can defend it.

The whole Red Sox-NESN-Boston Globe thing is already incestuous as it is, I'm sure another layer isn't needed.

http://bostonherald.com/inside_track/the_inside_track/2014/01/jenny_dell_trades_red_sox_gig_for_love

 

There's a pretty significant difference between an affair and a relationship. Either way, it's a conflict of interest...

What will be interesting will be if NESN asks her to exploit her relationship with him when there's breaking news...

 

That is one huge can of worms. I imagine Middlebrooks probably has some teammates looking at him in a different light, too.

 

Haven't lost count of anyone who cares.

 

No more calls please ... WE HAVE A WINNER!

 

I don't have the like.

 

Some of the people I've heard "supporting" Dell seem to think NESN should let her out of her contract to pursue FS1 or MLB Network gigs that were rumored a month ago, when Middlebrooks outed their relationship on Twitter. Reports yesterday were that NESN has decided to use her non-compete to keep her and stick her in a studio role. Don't know how I feel about that.....seems a little petty but if you sign a contract them's the breaks.

It's a no-brainer that she can't be on the beat now. The other question is did NESN know for a while, and they're only now reacting because it's public? They should've made a move when they found out, public or not.

 

Forget blaming NESN. Why didn't Dell have the foresight to ask for reassignment when she entered into a relationship with a player?

I certainly could argue about the ethics of dating a source (protip: don't do it), but sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with, and many people meet their significant others at work. OK.

But the fact this didn't register on her professional radar is a breech. And situations like this are what help perpetuate the myth that all female sports journalists want to sleep with players.