The agent for Detroit Tigers broadcaster Rod Allen blasted a report published on Thursday that said his client got in a fight with broadcasting partner Mario Impemba.
The Athletic’s Katie Strang says Allen and Impemba got into an altercation after Tuesday’s Tigers-White Sox game. The fight was described as the product of “simmering tension” between the men finally boiling over. It was bad enough where the two had separate travel arrangements afterwards and were replaced on Wednesday’s telecast.
Click On Detroit shared more information about the fight:
Sources told Local 4 that Impemba left the broadcast booth at some point and Allen followed, assaulting Impemba from behind and choking him.
The altercation was because of a disagreement over a chair in the booth, sources told Local 4.
Allen’s agent denied that description of events.
“We have not commented because Fox Sports Detroit is handling this professionally and thoroughly. But these ridiculous, blatantly false descriptions require me to speak the truth and say they are utter fabrications,” Allen’s agent Tom Shaer said in a statement.
“There was no ‘fight.’ Nobody followed anybody, there was no contact from behind, and a ‘choke hold’ is a shamefully untrue way to describe anything which occurred in that very brief altercation.
“Anonymous fiction by others does injustice to the very concepts of fairness and professionalism. Those who give such gross untruths to media should be ashamed of themselves.”
Allen is in his 16th season as a Tigers broadcaster. He has teamed with Impemba for all of the seasons and has won two Michigan Emmys for his color commentary.
Impemba told reporter Jessica Dupnack that he had no further comment on the matter.
BREAKING: just spoke briefly with Mario Impemba regarding the physical altercation between he and Rod Allen, Impemba didn’t say much but when asked if he was ok he said “I’m fine but don’t have further comment.” @FOX2News
— Jessica Dupnack (@JDupnackFOX2) September 6, 2018
