After news leaked that ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds -- one of the only guys on Baseball Tonight that wasn't a raving lunatic -- was let go by the network after 11 years, there was speculation that he got pink-slipped because of one too many incidents of sexual harassment. There was other speculation that he got in a shouting match with BT producers over the show's continuing obsession with the woes of Yankee star Alex Rodriguez. But Reynolds and the network weren't talking. Until today. This morning, Reynolds confirmed to the New York Post that he indeed was fired for sexual harassment reasons, over what he deemed a misunderstanding. "To be honest with you, I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted," he tells Andrew Marchand. He also hopes to straighten things out with The Worldwide Leader and come back to fulfill the six-year contract he signed earlier this year. Deadspin, though, cited a blog that said that this was the latest in what was a string of incidents, so we may not be seeing Reynolds argue with John Kruk about on-base percentage anytime soon.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-26-2006 @ 12:41PM
LifeInTheOffice.com said...
Oh man, he was my favorite one on there by far. He and Joe Morgan are big draws for me.
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7-26-2006 @ 1:00PM
ferley said...
oh man, good. I hate ESPN and this guy is up there on jerks of the network.
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7-26-2006 @ 1:23PM
kenivc said...
oh and get rid of pres bush..he touch the shoulders of the chancellor of germany at the g-8 meeting
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7-26-2006 @ 2:16PM
zeke said...
there has to be a human resources (HR) joke in here somewhere...
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7-26-2006 @ 3:45PM
chip said...
this is a bunch of hog wash. don`t bash the best guy on the network
thids might cause me to stop watching espn
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7-26-2006 @ 6:32PM
bill Bunn said...
Bring back Dave Campbell. "Soupy" has one of the best baseball minds in broadcasting and he is very insightful.
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7-26-2006 @ 9:02PM
TERRY THOMPSON said...
harold was the only guy on baseball tonight who actually knew what he was talking about. why dont they go ahead and hire a has been retired baseball player who cant stay out of drug rehab and then he would probably fit in with the other clowns who try to pretend they know "baseball"....
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7-26-2006 @ 10:20PM
ARR said...
I agree with T. THOMPSON with the fact that H. Reynolds WAS THE ONLY REASON THAT I AND 85% OF AMERICA WATCHED BASEBALL TONIGHT. HE HAS PLAYED AND STUDIED THE GREAT GAME OF MLB AND WAS THE ONLY ANALYST WHO MADE AN OUNCE OF SENSE IN REVIEWING PLAYS BETWEEN OPOSING BALLCLUBS.
I PERDICT THAT REYNOLDS WILL CLAIM A BREECH OF CONTRACT ON THE PART OF ESPN AND SURELY CATCH ON WITH SOME OTHER NETWORK.
Not knowing the total truth in events leading to this firing, one would think that if there is a "legite" problem here that ESPN would have took a different route and have H. Reynolds placed in sex harrasment counciling group of some kind before firing.
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7-27-2006 @ 11:09AM
Richard Streeter said...
I'm for Harold Reynolds:I just think some women need to learn how to take a compliment. I also have some background knowledge of what happen in the Rush Limbaugh-Donovan McNabb upset at ESPN. In cases like this, there are sometimes inter-male jealousies, too, that amount to power plays against the losing individual.
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7-27-2006 @ 12:31PM
gizmus said...
I guess he shouldn't have "cupped" her butt when he hugged her... lol
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7-27-2006 @ 12:35PM
g-man said...
How far is too far? How much contact is too much? When is being friendly being harassing?
When is an "office politics" move a sham?
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7-27-2006 @ 11:58PM
pino said...
i will not watch baseball tonight ever ever again if he did drugs it wouldve been ok i bet
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7-28-2006 @ 11:51PM
Harold Reynolds Friend said...
Harold Reynolds & Sexual Harassment Allegations
Harold is a personal friend of mine (like my little brother) so I know his side of the story which will soon come out at his attorney’s discretion. Not only am I personal friend of Harold, I am a professional fact-finding investigator in discrimination cases, including sexual harassment cases.
Under the law, nothing that Harold did fits under the definition of sexual harassment. According to the law; “Any unwanted (unwelcome) words, touching, gestures or action of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment.” In order to have a case of sexual harassment the allege victim must tell the person initiating the actions or gesture that their actions and gesture is unwelcome and unwanted. If the person ignore the victims warning and persist with the behavior, that constitute sexual harassment. This never happened in the case of Harold Reynolds and ESPN’s Human Resource manager should be fired for not knowing the law and the definition of sexual harasssment.
Unwanted sexual advances are determined by the allege victim. To one woman, a hand shake can be considered sexual harassment. To another a mere look could be considered sexual harassment and to another a friendly hug can be sexual harassment.
What is unusual about the ESPN case against Harold Reynolds is that none of the white victims have been identified. In contrast, in the case of the allege black victim vs Duke University, not only was the so called black victim identified, but all of her family members and ex-boyfriends were also identified.
Keep Harold in your thoughts and prayers
Sincerely,
Harold’s Friend
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7-30-2006 @ 9:21AM
Billy Lane said...
I am a white American non-prejudice person and there has to be more to this story. This man was a true professional and a pleasure to watch and lsiten to his knowledge and opinions. Somebody didn't like him because of "ratings" or some TV bullcrap. What a darn shame this world we live in.
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7-30-2006 @ 10:48PM
Josh M said...
I, surprisingly, had to scroll down further than I had expected, to find the first RACE CARD thrown!
Harold's Friend, do you always use race as a crutch to bolster your legal endeavors?? Give me a break, guy!!
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7-31-2006 @ 11:32AM
Randall Fordham said...
This is a down right shame, I really enjoyed watching Harold Reynolds on ESPN. He really was the only reason I watched Baseball Tonight. Now they have the nerve to spoon feed us this crap about sexual harassment charges. This goes way beyond accusations and innuendos. ESPN has been really falling off my grace list for quite sometime now. This only switches me to Fox Sports that much sooner. They keep the clowns and get rid of all the announcers that have half a clue. Go figure!!!!
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8-03-2006 @ 10:26PM
Rogar said...
harold reynolds is a bozo and i am glad he got the boot, there is no need for a slap hitter to analize anything especially hitting.
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8-03-2006 @ 10:28PM
Rogar said...
obviously he made more contact in the studio than he did at the plate!
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8-04-2006 @ 2:46PM
"DEX" DEXTER BEACON N.Y. said...
WHAT A SHAME! HAROLD REYNOLDS IS THE VERY BEST THERE IS...RIGHT UP THERE WITH JOE MORGAN FOR EXPLAINING THE INNER WORKINGS OF BASEBALL TO THE UNINFORMED.I'VE PLAYED BASEBALL FOR 40 YEARS, AND HAROLD IS THE CONSUMATE PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCER. I ENJOY HIS LITTLE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCING, AS WELL! HE SHOULD SUE THE SHOW FOR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK FOLKS!
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8-23-2006 @ 5:27PM
dean g said...
this is ridiculous! baseball tonight is a sleepy bunch without harold. being fired without any pause for review or rebuttal? shame on espn! sure one has to take on harrassment, but please.. michael irvin being arrested with drug paraphanelia still works there? i get the message espn, loud and clear. actions always speak louder than words. espn has tarnished itself on this one, to be sure!
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