ESPN, one of the most respected sports networks, fired Marly Rivera, a well-known national baseball reporter, following an unpleasant altercation with a female coworker.
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Who is Marly Rivera?
Marly Rivera is a former columnist and reporter who has worked for ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio. She follows in the path of her mentor, Claire Smith, and is the second woman of color to have covered the Yankees as a beat.
Earlier this month, Rivera and Gaete reportedly disagreed over who should interview Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, according to the New York Post. Rivera claims that she had scheduled an interview with Judge and tried to inform Gaete numerous times that she had a meeting with the player. She claims that Gaete ignored her.
In the heat of the moment, Rivera referred to Gaete in a derogatory manner. The former ESPN reporter called Gaete a ‘f***ing c**t’ with her remarks caught on video. Gaete turned down Rivera’s efforts at apology despite her attempts to explain. Although Rivera acknowledged using offensive words, she argued that her firing was not justified.
Rivera has already deleted her social media accounts, and ESPN has since issued a brief statement stating that she is no longer employed by them.
“I fully accept responsibility for what I said, which I should not have,” Rivera told the New York Post of the incident. “There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions. I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements.”
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The ESPN Sports Network has been laying off employees the same week that Rivera is leaving. According to a memo that ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro addressed to staff members on Monday, the changes will primarily affect management jobs.
Pitaro wrote in the note, “We will have another wave of notifications that will be completed by the start of the summer for those that are not in front-facing talent roles,” adding that ESPN also intended to let go of on-air talent later this year.
