ESPN reporter Britt McHenry suspended after berating towing company clerk

[Deberg_1990]

ESPN suspended reporter Britt McHenry for a week after a video of her berating a towing company employee surfaced Thursday.

The sports network announced her suspension on Twitter.

McHenry posted an apology on Twitter, saying she allowed her emotions to get away from her during a stressful situation at a Virginia business. "I ... said some insulting and regrettable things."

"As frustrated as I was, I should always choose to be respectful and take the high road. I am so sorry for my actions and will learn from this mistake," she wrote.


'Lose some weight, baby girl'
On the roughly one-minute long video that was captured by a surveillance camera, McHenry says to an employee at a register: "I'm in the news, sweetheart. I will (expletive) sue this place."

The employee tells McHenry she's being recorded but it doesn't stop her from continuing her rant.

"That's why I have a degree and you don't," she says. "I wouldn't work at a scumbag place like this. Makes my skin crawl even being here."

Later McHenry says, "maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh?"

The employee apparently says something about McHenry's hair and the color of her roots.

McHenry sasses back, saying, "Oh, like yours, 'cause they look so stunning, 'cause I'm on television and you're in a (expletive) trailer, honey. Lose some weight, baby girl."

CNN reached out to the Arlington towing company for comment but didn't hear immediately back.


The edited video was first posted on the website LiveLeak, which said the incident occurred April 5.

The video inspired the Twitter hashtag #firebrittmchenry.


The reporter is one of several ESPN on-air talents to be suspended in the past 12 months.

In February, anchor Keith Olbermann was not on the air for most of a week after a Twitter spat that the anchor had with fans of Penn State University. Bill Simmons was suspended in September for three weeks for calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a liar. Commentator Stephen A. Smith was suspended in July for a week for widely criticized remarks about domestic abuse that referred to possible "provocation" by victims.

With ESPN just one year
McHenry is based in Washington and the incident happened across the Potomac River in Arlington.

McHenry joined ESPN in 2014. At the time of her hiring, ESPN's senior vice president and director of news, Vince Doria, praised her knack for getting interviews with major sports celebrities.

"In a relatively short time, Britt has established a reputation for strong, aggressive reporting in the D.C. area, and an ability to land big interviews," said Doria. "Her presence there will be a great benefit to ESPN's newsgathering and, as with all of our bureau reporters, she will be assigned to high-profile stories around the country."

Prior to ESPN, she was with WJLA in Washington. McHenry joined the station in 2008 and the sports staff in 2010.

She went to Stetson as an undergraduate and Northwestern for graduate studies in journalism.


http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/us/esp...chenry-tirade/

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Lol, some of these comments. Fire her, burn her at the stake, lmao.

She was pissed and said something bad to a stranger she'll never see again. Who gives a ****?


Ye without sin cast the first stone.

We joke around here a lot. But I'm guessing most people on Cp would never stoop as low as she did talking to a complete stranger just trying to do her job.

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Lol, some of these comments. Fire her, burn her at the stake, lmao.

She was pissed and said something bad to a stranger she'll never see again. Who gives a ****?


Ye without sin cast the first stone.

Jehovah!

[WhawhaWhat]

Tow truck people are the worst scumbags and this chick is on the same level. She may have a degree but her and everyone else knows why she has a job at ESPN, and the degree isn't at the top of that list.

[OmahaChief]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

We joke around here a lot. But I'm guessing most people on Cp would never stoop as low as she did talking to a complete stranger just trying to do her job.

I agree with this statement. It takes a special kind of beotch to go off like that. Would pound her out repeatedly though.

[Pablo]

Well, I guess she's somebody. Can't say I really recall her. Enjoy your decade of relevance until you put on twenty pounds and they find another pretty face with a degree Britt.

Oh, and **** towing companies.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Lol, some of these comments. Fire her, burn her at the stake, lmao.

She was pissed and said something bad to a stranger she'll never see again. Who gives a ****?


Ye without sin cast the first stone.

Welp, I guess I'll throw a pretty big stone since I've never gone off and continued to personally berate someone just doing their job.

[Archie F. Swin]

y'all be talkin like you got all your teeth

[MTG#10]

Video looks bad but like someone else mentioned its been edited all to hell, no telling what the clerk was saying to her.

[KCUnited]

One of the perks of having a stolen vehicle recovered is the waiting room at the city tow lot. Holy shit it's like an asylum in there on a Saturday morning.

Last tow I called in, the guy showed up in the snow and actually unlocked my starter with a wrench. I was able to start it and drive it into the shop. Pretty cool and he didn't charge me. Mother**** nearly all other tow companies though.

[Faddy Yomama]

So what? Everyone has periods where they act like complete jackasses. She's unlucky that her moment got caught on film. That's just dumb luck.

[Dragonocho]

This is a classic "Do you know who I am" kind of moment. Immediately these moments identify the person as not self aware and as a douchebag. It's not illegal. She needs anger management counseling. Her punishment is her public identity forever will carry this mark. ESPN will walk away from her when her ratings drop. If they drop from this event so be it.
The numbers of times ESPN deals with personalities blowing up on people makes me think they owe some in house counseling to help J-School kids learn self management.

[cabletech94]

I personally walk around public announcing "don't you know who I am?"

faces of the elderly are priceless.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Baconeater

I'm sure the entitled bitch parked her car where she shouldn't have and thought it was ok because she's an entitled bitch.

This.

She was told she was being taped and apparently didn't care.

She should have.

And no matter how rude the person taping you is you have to be smart about it. Your public image matters. Do what you have to and report any rude/bad business behavior later.

I'm just a nobody state worker but if video like that got out on me I could be fired in a heartbeat...

[Brock]

I've learned you get a lot further with a smile and by pretending to be nice and caring.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Brock

I've learned you get a lot further with a smile and by pretending to be nice and caring.

There you go.