ESPN has fired college football play-by-play voice Ron Franklin, less than a week after he called colleague Jeannine Edwards “sweet baby” and an expletive.
ESPN confirmed to Sports Media Watch that Franklin will no longer work for the network. “Based on what occurred last Friday,” the network said in a statement, “we have ended our relationship with him.”
According to Edwards, Franklin addressed her as “sweet baby” during a production meeting prior to Friday’s Chick Fil-A Bowl. When she objected, he called her an expletive. Sports By Brooks first reported the story Sunday.
In the wake of the incident, ESPN pulled Franklin from his scheduled ESPN Radio Fiesta Bowl broadcast. Franklin later apologized for the incident, saying he “deserved to be taken off the Fiesta Bowl.”
Via their Twitter accounts, Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch and Sports Business Daily‘s John Ourand first reported Franklin’s firing.
(twitter.com/richarddeitsch, twitter.com/ourand_sbj; CONFIRMED BY ESPN)
