ESPN has fired national baseball reporter Marly Rivera after she used vulgar language during a confrontation with another female sports journalist, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
The incident took place last Tuesday at Yankee Stadium ahead of a scheduled interview with Yankees star Aaron Judge.
Via a company issued release to The Post, ESPN stated: “She no longer works here”.
Before the Yankees‘ showdown with the Angels, Rivera and Ivón Gaete became involved in a dispute over the Judge interview.
Rivera, who claimed she had scheduled time to speak exclusively with the reigning AL MVP, became upset when Gaete refused to respect the exclusivity.
During the quarrel, Rivera yelled an obscenity, calling Gaete a “f—ing c–t,” which was caught on video.
Rivera reportedly tried to apologize to Gaete, but Gaete rejected the gesture.
“I fully accept responsibility for what I said, which I should not have,” Rivera told the Post. “There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions. I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements.”
Gaete is a freelance journalist who was working on assignment for Tokyo Broadcasting. She is married to John Blundell, who serves as Major League Baseball’s vice president of communications.
Rivera had covered Major League Baseball for ESPN and ESPN Deportes as a writer and on-air personality for the past 13 years.
