One well-known NBA reporter is sounding off on MLB Network’s decision this week to cut ties with Ken Rosenthal.
Veteran hoops journalist David Aldridge of The Athletic posted a tweet on Tuesday defending Rosenthal and comparing the situation to his own personal experience with late former NBA commissioner David Stern.
“I worked for Turner Sports, which operated NBA TV & NBA.com in partnership w/the league, for 14 years,” wrote Aldridge. “You know what David Stern did when I wrote or said something he didn’t like? He called me up and cussed me out. But he didn’t go to my bosses & try to fire me.”
Rosenthal, one of the top baseball reporters in the industry, did not have his contract renewed by MLB Network for 2022. The network reportedly took issue with critical comments that Rosenthal made about MLB commissioner Rob Manfred while writing for The Athletic. MLB Network quietly kept Rosenthal off the air for three months at the time of his comments in 2020 and now decided to let Rosenthal go outright after his contract expired. Rosenthal will still write and report for The Athletic, the outlet that also employs Aldridge.
As for Stern, he was known for being a very tough boss. But Aldridge, who worked for a league-owned network for many years, thinks that even Stern would not have handled business quite like this.
Photo: Oct 13, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal talks during an interview prior to game two of the 2020 NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
