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Thursday, February 27, 2020

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Britt McHenry reveals she has a brain tumor

February 27, 2020
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Britt McHenry shared some awful personal news on Thursday.

McHenry, who was a reporter for ESPN from 2014-2017, shared that she has a brain tumor. She said that she will be undergoing surgery for it soon.

McHenry had been tweeting about her health issues the previous few days, sharing that she was getting medical checks for serious issues.

The MRI apparently revealed the tumor, which is leading to her surgery.

McHenry, 33, was a Washington D.C.-area correspondent for ESPN. She went viral in 2015 for berating a towing company employee on video before later apologizing. She was among the massive layoffs by ESPN in 2017 and later suggested that was due to her conservative political views.

Since being let go by ESPN, Henry began a career as a conservative political personality. She also gained some attention for dating controversial tennis player Tennys Sandgren.

Report: Tony Romo could enter free agency next week

February 25, 2020
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Tony Romo CBS

Tony Romo’s free agency status is a big topic in the sports media world, and things could really begin for the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback next week.

Romo’s 3-year deal with CBS has expired, and the analyst reportedly is in an exclusive negotiating window with CBS. According to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, if that window passes without a deal being reached, Romo could officially become a free agent in March.

ESPN has long been reported as a network that will pursue Romo, and they are supposedly planning to offer the former quarterback a record deal.

A recent report from a media personality who shares the same agent as Romo said the bidding for the former Dallas Cowboy surpassed $15 million per year, which would be more than what John Madden made in his prime, adjusted for inflation. Romo recently hinted that he has made a decision about his future.

Marchand says CBS has backup plans in case Romo leaves, such as having Boomer Esiason move to an analyst role or getting Kurt Warner. ESPN is looking to change up its “Monday Night Football” booth and would love to make Romo the centerpiece.

ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi apologizes for Baker Mayfield comment

February 25, 2020
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Tony Grossi

ESPN Cleveland Browns reporter Tony Grossi issued an apology on Tuesday, hours after being suspended for a comment about Baker Mayfield.

Grossi was at the NFL Combine and joining ESPN Cleveland/WKNR show “The Really Big Show” for an interview. The show is also aired via video feed on TheLandonDemand.com, which is where Grossi’s comment calling Mayfield a “f—ing midget” aired on the video feed.

Here is the video clip:

Good Karma Brands, which owns ESPN Cleveland, issued a statement apologizing for the comment. They said they were suspending Grossi indefinitely for his comment.

Grossi later issued a statement of apology.

“I am truly sorry for my language and choice of words in a remark I made about Baker Mayfield that was captured on our live feed on TheLandOnDemand. I sincerely apologize for using a word that is a derogatory slur. There’s no excuse for using that language in any context. It was said without malice but also without thought,” Grossi wrote.

“It is well known that Baker and I have had our differences, and in the course of this experience, I’ve had to question my role in the erosion of the relationship. I have always endeavored to report and comment on him and the team fairly, and am shaken by these events. I will strive to be a better person and professional.

“I apologize to little people, Good Karma Brands, the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield, to our listeners and to anyone who was offended by my remark.”

Grossi has a lengthy negative history with Mayfield that we’ve detailed before. Grossi accused Mayfield of being a high-maintenance person during the predraft process. Since then, Mayfield has been openly defiant when fielding questions from Grossi. The quarterback walked out of a press conference last season following a heated exchange with Grossi.

Grossi used to write for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and he was pulled from the Browns beat years ago for criticizing the team’s owner in a tweet.

Tony Grossi suspended by ESPN for calling Baker Mayfield ‘f—ing midget’ on hot mic

February 25, 2020
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Baker Mayfield

ESPN Cleveland reporter Tony Grossi has never gotten along with Baker Mayfield, and the opinion Grossi shared of the Browns quarterback on Tuesday has resulted in an indefinite suspension.

Grossi was caught on a hot mic at the NFL Combine referring to Mayfield as a “f—ing midget.” The context of the conversation, which Grossi did not realize was being aired live, was that the Browns have missed out on a number of top quarterbacks over the years and are now stuck with Mayfield, whom Grossi has openly criticized in the past. The conversation was aired on a video feed by TheLandonDemand.com while “The Really Big Show” on ESPN Cleveland/WKNR 850 was at a commercial break.

As you might expect, Grossi’s remark went viral on Twitter. It wasn’t long before ESPN announced that Grossi has been suspended indefinitely. The network issued a statement saying it will not tolerate the use of “derogatory language that demeans other groups of people.”

Grossi has bashed the Browns numerous times in the past for drafting Mayfield. The issues began even before that, as Grossi accused Mayfield of demanding first-class flight accommodations for pre-draft visits and painted the former Oklahoma star as a high-maintenance prima donna. Mayfield has since been openly defiant when fielding questions from Grossi. The quarterback walked out of a press conference last season following a heated exchange with Grossi.

Grossi used to write for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and he was pulled from the Browns beat years ago for criticizing the team’s owner in a tweet.

ESPN cancelling ‘High Noon’ show featuring Bomani Jones, Pablo Torre

February 24, 2020
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ESPN High Noon

ESPN is cancelling one of its midday talk shows, citing low viewership numbers as the reason.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand reported on Monday that the staff of “High Noon,” which is hosted by Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre, was informed by ESPN executives that the show was being cancelled. The last episode of the show will be in late March.

“Co-hosts Pablo Torre and Bomani Jones are extremely talented, and they helmed what we believed was a smart and nuanced show. Unfortunately, not enough people agreed with us. We look forward to discussing with them how to best utilize their talents across a variety of ESPN platforms,” ESPN said in a statement to Ourand.

Jones and Torre’s contracts are coming up soon, which may play a role in the decision. Jones will continue to host his podcast for now.

The show was said to be averaging 330,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2020, which is below the 404,000 of “Highly Questionable” and 380,000 for “Get Up!”

ESPN going with two-man team of A-Rod, Matt Vasgersian for ‘Sunday Night Baseball’

February 20, 2020
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Alex Rodriguez

ESPN confirmed recently that Jessica Mendoza is being removed from the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast to pursue other opportunities with the network, but there are no plans to replace her in the booth.

On Thursday, ESPN announced that its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts will feature a two-man team of Matt Vasgersian and Alex Rodriguez. Vasgersian is returning for his third season as play-by-play man and this will also be A-Rod’s third season as an analyst. Buster Olney will return for his 10th season as sideline reporter.

ESPN had seemingly made it clear that it would build its “Sunday Night Baseball” booth around A-Rod, who must enjoy working with Vasgersian. Rodriguez will now be given more freedom to showcase his knowledge of the game with one less voice on the broadcast. There had been some talk about former Yankees star David Cone joining A-Rod and Vasgersian, but that idea has been nixed.

Mendoza was sharply criticized for the comments she made about Mike Fiers blowing the whistle on the Houston Astros, but it does not appear that had anything to do with her being removed from “Sunday Night Baseball.” Mendoza recently resigned from her position as an advisor to the New York Mets so she can focus more on her work with ESPN.

Tony Romo hints he has made decision about his future

February 20, 2020
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Tony Romo CBS

Tony Romo dropped a hint this week that he has made a decision about his broadcasting future, though he has not shared what that decision is yet.

Romo joined “The Ben and Skin Show” on 97.1 The Eagle on Tuesday and talked about his status as a broadcasting free agent.

“Right now, obviously we’re in that free agent kind of position, but in my brain, it’s one of those things where you talk to your wife, the people that know you at your core. You just have to figure out what’s important, and try and make the best decision possible. I mean, obviously I’m trying to say it the right way here, but I do feel like there is no perfect answer. It’s just a matter of me going through it, and I’ve never been through this in the broadcasting world. It’s just something I’m basically learning,” said Romo.

“It reminds me a lot when I was in year two with the Dallas Cowboys. I had no idea how to negotiate with Jerry Jones. It’s like, I just want to play. You don’t really know any better. I feel like this thing won’t be that. … All I want is like an obvious answer, right? You just want something to be very straightforward.”

Romo told the hosts he thinks he has made his decision, but he wasn’t sharing.

“I think I’m already there a little bit, but we’ll see how it plays out, even though I think I already know, but I’m just not telling you guys,” Romo said.

Romo saying he wants an obvious, straightforward answer seem to suggest he doesn’t want to change or move and just wants the status quo. That would mean staying at CBS, where he was first hired as a broadcaster and has paired with Jim Nantz on their No. 1 NFL announcing team.

CBS has the right of first refusal on Romo’s contract, which gives them somewhat of a homefield advantage. Maybe Romo’s representative was using the ESPN threat to get the most money possible out of CBS. At last check, the bidding was at pretty crazy amounts.