You might have heard a thing or two about Britt McHenry during the past week and change. ESPN suspended her for one week due to lewd, profane and extremely condescending tirade directed at an Advanced Towing Company clerk named Gina. The video landed on every home page possible.
It turns out the towing company has horrible reputation online and they supposedly have terrible customer service. Like Bank of America level incompetence, and corruption. That certainly does not excuse her behavior though. Also inexcusable, is a lot of the media coverage we’ve seen of McHenry. The New York Post called her “a sorry excuse for a human being,” in their headline.
Numerous sources we’ve spoken to describe her in a manner just as horrifying and inhumane as the media has depicted her.
She did indeed look like a terrible human being in that video, and the people we’ve spoken to that actually know her as a person- they’re not shocked, or even the least bit surprised by what transpired in it. Sources close to McHenry claim that the sense of entitlement and “I’m better than you” attitude portrayed in the video is genuine. It’s something McHenry truly feels down to her core; not just an emotional outburst.
But calling her a sorry excuse for a human being- the media covering her are acting just as villainous as McHenry.
We’ve also heard some less-than-moral things about the towing company; even beyond what’s been reported by the Better Business Bureau.
So when will Britt McHenry return to the airwaves this weekend, she does so as the centerpiece of a story where there is literally no one to root for.
McHenry’s suspension is over now, and she’ll be back on the airwaves this weekend. She’s right back into the rotation; she’ll be doing NFL stories for SportsCenter and ESPN’s NFL programming. And here’s an excerpt from an ESPN Press release sent out yesterday about their NFL Draft broadcast plans.
“ESPN will also dispatch bureau reporters to a handful of NFL team sites, and to be with two of the top prospects in the draft:
- Florida State’s Jameis Winston in Alabama (Tom Rinaldi)
- Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in Hawaii (Shelley Smith)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Ed Werder)
- Tennessee Titans (Sal Paolantonio)
- New York Jets (Josina Anderson)
- Chicago Bears (Bob Holtzman)
- St. Louis Rams (Britt McHenry)
- Cleveland Browns (Jeremy Fowler)
- San Diego Chargers (Jim Trotter)
When I say this story has no one to root for, I truly mean it.
-With McHenry, what you see is what you get. No explanation needed
-The towing company has a history of being predatory, and they edited, distributed and exploited the video of McHenry’s rant to further their own interests.
-ESPN, one of the most image conscious companies imaginable had a PR black eye from “one of their own” as they put, and did very little about it. Britt McHenry received a slap on the wrist punishment, despite being America’s perfect villain for a week.
-The media who covered this story went full on “Brian Williams lied” in their coverage of this. The media ignores so many major issues that actually matter, but when a prominent media member provides an epic failure, the coverage is wall to wall. Again self-explanatory, the people bashing Williams and McHenry are people who reside on lower rungs of the totem pole.
In other words, get ready for some Britt McHenry, St. Louis Rams fans. And NFL and SportsCenter fans. Do you want to see her report on the Rams? Speak your mind in the comments section below.
Thousands of people have signed a petition to get Britt McHenry fired. That seems totally justified to some of you. It seems absurd and ridiculous and wrong to others. This whole situation has been a very grey area, because literally, no one is the good guy here. Not even close!
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)