04/19/24
July 18, 2020
Jeremy Roenick Sues NBC Sports for Anti-Straight Discrimination: Sportscaster and former NHL star Jeremy Roenick has sued NBC Sports in New York state court claiming that when he was fired for joking on a podcast he wanted a threesome with his wife and his on-air colleague Kathryn Tappen, the network discriminated against him as a heterosexual. The kitchen sink suit also asserts that the former NHL star was fired for supporting failed USFL owner Donald Trump.
Hopefully the network won't pay him to go away and he'll find out how enjoyable it will be for the complaint to go to court.
It'll be a while before they schedule that sort of thing, as the NY courts are full of more critical types of litigation now and will only become fuller as time goes on.
posted by beaverboard at 07:25 PM on July 18, 2020
There have been times over the years when I thought that I was in a group that deserved some sort of advocacy. It seemed that every other person had some grievance that allowed him or her to sue (often successfully) for damages. Perhaps some of these people were pushing the envelope, but the courts agreed with them. I have some opinions of judges who put politics ahead of law, but that's another thing entirely. Recent events have caused me to reconsider my attitudes. I don't believe I was ever handed anything I didn't earn, but having been brought up in a suburb with a nearly racially homogeneous population, perhaps it was a bit easier for me to earn my way than it would have been had I been of a different race in the inner city. I won't apologize for who and what I am. I will say that those who legitimately claim that the deck is stacked against them have a very valid claim indeed. Unfortunately the movement to peacefully protest for greater recognition of the problem has been kidnapped by those who wish merely to spread chaos. In any case, for more of us to think about how each of us can think about the problems and what his or her role in the solution might be.
posted by Howard_T at 08:09 PM on July 18, 2020
No, Jeremy... they fired you for being an asshole (which is not a protected class).
posted by kokaku at 05:27 PM on July 19, 2020
A teammate of mine at work once asked someone else why there isn't a support group for straight white guys like there are for women and people of color. Not too long ago at a company meeting, there was a suggestion that someone had contacted HR with a complaint that they felt the victim of discrimination. I honestly think it's my teammate pulling a Roenick here. I don't know for sure, but it seems like something the guy would do.