So the whole Steve Phillips fiasco has reached its inevitable conclusion: ESPN canned his ass. They waited until Sunday night to make the announcement, and then loaded his career into a Mayflower truck and drove nonstop to Indianapolis.
“Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN,” network spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement. “His ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably damaged, and it became evident it was time to part ways.” –ESPN, via Deadspin.
I guess I understand–how much credibility does a guy have after he knocked boots with this? But if that’s the case, why does former Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen still have a job at the network? That guy dicked an entire city. For YEARS. And what does he get for his trouble? He gets to go on TV and tell everyone how much he knows about football. My ass. Oh, but he’s great on TV. No, the same rule applies. That asshole may as well have “0-16″ tattooed onto his forehead, because that’s the only thought I can process whenever I see that chump on TV.
ASYLUM POLL: Did Steve Phillips get harsh treatment compared to other ornery celebs?
The Steve Phillips scandal at ESPN has been one of the bigger stories of the week, and it’s launched a full-scale expose’ over at Deadspin, who has published other alleged sexual goings-on in Bristol. And there’s been a bit of griping about it. Isn’t it unfair that Phillips and others are having their personal laundry strung out over the internet for all to see? Isn’t it poor practice to be citing unconfirmed rumors about “back of the house” employees? I’d answer, “Yes and no.”
Deadspin is getting all of these tips for a reason, and I don’t think the submitters are out only to slam these people in public. I suspect that they’re just tired of double standards like this:
The rumor circulating through Bristol — and our inbox — is that [Senior VP of Marketing Katie] Lacey infuriated a lot of people when she began doinking David Berson, an ESPN programming VP at the WWL.
On-air talent had been scolded for similar or lesser indiscretions, yet this relationship went unchallenged, infuriating some Bristolites. No leadership pickles for you, Lacey!
Anyone working in a large corporation expects to be treated fairly and disciplined equally. These rumors popping up on Deadspin (only now, seemingly after sitting in editing purgatory for some time) indicate that the aforementioned equal-opportunity intercourse isn’t happening. And yeah, I think it’s terrible for those involved to get cut down in public like that (presuming that those rumors are true), but I think cheating on your spouse–and somehow not keeping everyone from knowing about it–is even worse.
ESPN analyst Steve Phillips has been suspended by that network, apparently for banging A 22-year-old production assistant back in July. Phillips, 46, tried to break off his affair with Brooke Hundley, who then harassed Phillips and his family until the former New York Mets GM filed a harassment thingy with police.
The New York Post compares the affair to that movie Fatal Attraction, but there’s one clear difference here, and that is that Glenn Close didn’t look like a supporting character in Where The Wild Things Are. Seriously, Steve? You’re throwing away your marriage on that?! Her? What, does she tell funny jokes or something? Hey, Brooke! Your mom called! She said “MOO!” Aww, that was mean.
Glenn Close? I could see that. Hell, I’d do Glenn Close now. Sure, she’s a bit brittle these days, but least she doesn’t look like she’d chew on the furniture. What’s that? You were looking for real analysis on this? Well, the New York Post and Deadspin are all over this. Go there. Oh, and it looks like Steve and his wife Marni are getting a divorce. I guess Steve’s earlier affair while he was with the Mets didn’t help that cause. But to be totally fair, the Mets screw everybody.
I honestly cannot remember the last time somebody not wearing a clown suit pied somebody in the face and it was actually funny. My only quandry here is whether ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth deserves special distinction as a “clown.” But really, wouldn’t it be easier to just snap him with a towel, hide his car keys, or just pin him down with a couple friends in the cafeteria and stick a gravy ladle where the sun doesn’t shine? And HOW DARE HE let Chris McKendry walk into the studio unscathed. This never would have happened if Emmitt Smith was still there. via.
This video isn’t particularly funny, but since we’re getting a late start today and since Michelle Beadle tops the list of “Blondes I’d Let Handcuff Me To A Tree Naked And Leave Me For Dead,” we’re bringing you this video of her spoofing that Brett Favre jeans commercial that you’ve seen at least 50 times too many. I like the part where her pants fall off and then some guy lands on top of her. I’m hoping the extended cut features her running over Colin Cowherd while she drives her pickup truck down a dirt road, holding a can of Natural Light between her legs. Oh, Michelle. If only you were on show I’d remotely consider watching…via.
How many times has “Brett Favre” been mentioned in a single TV show? I don’t care either, but ESPN’s “SportsNation,” that show where they take 30 minutes to show you everything you already saw on the internet earlier that day, is looking to break that record…whatever it is.
ESPN, says spokesman Mike Soltys, will announce that on next Monday’s broadcast of its ESPN2 SportsNation [time redacted], it will try to set a record for the most mentions of Brett Favre on a TV show — with Guinness World Records now looking for the current record. via.
So “SportsNation” is looking to become–literally–the most annoying show in the history of television. What else would you expect from the monolith? They only seem to care about ratings and not showing Rachael Nichols’ breasts, and neither of those things leads to coherent television. Oh, wow…I’ve just gone through my calendar and I was already planning on not watching it. Sweet.
