Dan McNeil, a longtime Chicago-area sports radio host, was fired by WSCR-AM 670 on Tuesday for posting a tweet criticizing an ESPN sideline reporter’s outfit, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
On Monday night, McNeil tweeted a picture of Maria Taylor wearing a shoulder-revealing top while covering Monday Night Football. He captioned the post: “NFL sideline reporter or a host for the AVN annual awards presentation?”
AVN stands for the Adult Video News awards, which is an annual ceremony celebrating adult films.
Related Story: Cari Champion and Jemele Hill Team Up for New Series ‘Stick to Sports’
Entercom Chicago, which owns the radio station, announced McNeil’s firing in an email to staff a day after he posted the tweet.
“For each one of us our words have power. For our brands and on-air personalities that is amplified and brings increased responsibility in how we choose to use our voices,” Rachel Williamson, senior vice president and marketing manager of Entercom Chicago, wrote in the memo to staff.
“Last night’s tweet, and its degrading and humiliating tone to a fellow female broadcaster, was unacceptable,” she continued. “We have the best teams in Chicago, and we must hold ourselves to high expectations to continue to be leaders in our organization, our industry and our community. We apologize to all who were offended by Dan’s words, especially Maria.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFJHBq4nCMC/
McNeil deleted the tweet less than an hour later, but it had already sparked outrage, leading some of Taylor’s colleagues to come to her defense. Taylor herself also tweeted back at McNeil.
“Well Danny Dearest if you would like to continue making sexist comments about me… please bring your misogyny with you to the NBA Countdown double header I’ll be hosting tomorrow night,” she captioned an article about the incident. “Hey ladies remember you can wear whatever you feel confident in!”
McNeil has yet to comment on his firing.
