Following a racially insensitive Jeremy Lin headline that briefly appeared on ESPN's mobile website early Saturday morning, the media giant announced Sunday that it had fired the individual responsible. The network also suspended ESPNews anchor Max Bretos 30 days for using the phrase on air.
Following an off game by Lin, the site used the headline: "Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-stopping Loss to Hornets."
Bretos apologized on Twitter, writing: My wife is Asian, would never intentionally say anything to disrespect her and that community.
The phrase also apparently was used by Knicks play-by-play commentator Spero Dedes. A Madison Square Garden spokesman said the company was "evaluating" the situation.
Asked about the situation after leading the Knicks to a 104-97 victory over the Mavericks Sunday afternoon, Lin did not appear upset.
"ESPN had apologized," he said. "I don't think it was on purpose or whatever. At the same time, they've apologized, and so from my end I don't care anymore. Have to learn to forgive. And I don't even think that was intentional, or hopefully not."
Lin, a Harvard graduate who born and raised in the San Francisco area, also had a request for media in Taiwan to stop hounding his relatives there.
“Obviously I love my family, I love my relatives,” Lin said. “One special request I have is for the media back in Taiwan to kind of give them their space. Because they can’t even go to work without being bombarded and people following them. I just want people to respect the privacy of my relatives in Taiwan. Hopefully this will get back to everybody, because they need to live their lives as well."
Read more about that story and others, plus check out videos -- including the "Saturday Night Live" treatment of Linsanity -- trivia and more, at Monday's Morning Mashup [1].
Links:
[1] http://leeinks.weei.com/sports/2012/02/20/mondays-morning-mashup-espn-fires-employee-for-questionable-jeremy-lin-headline
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/general