Mendoza said she saw Bells’ incendiary tweet and decided not to read it.
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This has been a real eye-opening experience and I hope I can put the lesson learned from it to good use.
“If you are that young college student or just out of college – you need that role model to say ‘she can do it – it’s possible for me, ‘ and that’s why I think it’s a great day for all aspiring broadcasters – especially young women broadcasters”.
I also want to express my apologies to our advertisers and sponsors, and to our sports team partners. Bell has been suspended for the rest of the week. John Michaels is covering for him.
All of it was directed at baseball playoff commentary from Jessica Mendoza, ESPN’s first baseball female analyst and a gold medalist in softball.
Jessica Mendoza, whose history-making broadcast debut as Major League Baseball’s 1st female analyst prompted a sexist backlash, is taking the state of affairs in stride.
Though Bell issued an apology tweet, his remaining comments remain in the Twittersphere for his almost 14,000 followers to see.
Bell is a veteran sports talk host in town, spending most of his years at the now defunct 790/The Zone.
UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Mike Bell has released a statement posted on 92.9/The Game’s website.
He has always fashioned himself as a kid at heart. However, the line was quickly deleted and Ho apologized on his own Twitter account. “I dig horsepower, ribeyes & brown liquor”.
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BELL’s tweet was immediately criticized by several others on Twitter, including ESPN’s RACHEL NICHOLS, and after attempts to defend his comment (calling critics “PC candy ass”) and then characterize it as a joke, and after the ATLANTA FALCONS posted a tweet saying “Embarrassed by MIKE BELL’s comments, given he’s on our flagship station”. I presume his statement on air today will be all until he returns.
