Ron Franklin Fired for Sexist Comment to Jeannine Edwards
The sports world may still be a man's world, but that doesn't mean that it exists outside the corporate world. So calling a female colleague "sweet baby," probably isn't advisable. Calling the same colleague "sweet cakes" and an "asshole" is even less brilliant. In the case of now former ESPN announcer, Ron Franklin, it cost him his job.
According to one of Franklin's co-workers, Ron Franklin and Jeannine Edwards had roughly the following conversation prior to the Chick Fil-A Bowl. ESPN announcers Ed Cunningham, Rod Gilmore and Franklin were discussing Gilmore's wife Marie being elected mayor of Alameda, California. Edwards tried to join in but was shut down by Franklin, according to the report.
Franklin: "Why don't you leave this to the boys, sweetcakes,"
Edwards: "Don't call me sweetcakes, I don't like being talked to like that,"
Franklin: "OK then, a**hole."
Ron Franklin was later pulled from the Fiesta Bowl broadcast. Apparently this was not the first run-in with a female by Franklin. Regarding this incident, Ron Franklin apologized, but it was not enough for ESPN, who promptly fired him:
"Based on what occurred last Friday, we have ended our relationship with him ... personal conduct policies and showing respect for colleagues are of the utmost importance." Apparently ESPN was particularly troubled that Franklin didn't apologize to Jeannine Edwards personally.
So let this be a cautionary tale. You may think that some conversations are best left to the boys, but when you're at work, you had best keep those thoughts to yourself.
Related Resources:
- ESPN drops Ron Franklin over remarks toward Jeannine Edwards (USA Today)
- What Constitutes a "Hostile Work Environment"? (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- Brett Favre Sexting Scandal: NFL Being Strong-Armed by Sterger (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)