Entercom, the parent company of 670 The Score in Chicago, has fired radio host Dan McNeil after he tweeted and deleted a sexist and misogynist tweet about ESPN reporter Maria Taylor.
McNeil tweeted about Taylor on Monday during Taylor’s debut as a sideline reporter on “Monday Night Football.” He suggested that her outfit, which included a fashionable and creative leather jacket top, made her look like she should be hosting an adult film awards show.
Awful Announcing captured the tweet before McNeil deleted it, which read “NFL sideline reporter or a host for the AVN annual awards presentation?”
Rachel Williamson, regional president for Entercom, released a statement to Deadspin about McNeil’s termination.
[quote] Dan McNeil is no longer an employee at The Score.
[quote] For each one of us our words have power. For our brands and on-air personalities that is amplified and brings increased responsibility how we choose to use our voices. Last night’s tweet, and its degrading and humiliating tone to a fellow female broadcaster, was unacceptable.
[quote] We have the best teams in Chicago, and we must continue to 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.
Taylor saw Awful Announcing’s coverage of McNeil’s tweet on Monday night and clapped back at him just after midnight. She’d just finished an important day in her career, but that didn’t stop her from calling out McNeil’s repellent sexism.
After skewering McNeil by pointing out how busy she is with her many hosting and reporting responsibilities at ESPN, Taylor wisely logged off Twitter for the night. Her tweet, however, started to gain steam and by Monday morning she was showered with support for her smart, ballsy and honest comeback.