A day after ESPN fired baseball reporter Marly Rivera in the aftermath of a vulgar confrontation with another reporter, a report from The Washington Post has detailed Rivera’s history of having similar run-ins in the past.
Rivera was let go from the network after a video surfaced of Rivera yelling an obscenity at Ivón Gaete as the pair became involved in a dispute regarding an interview with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium, with Rivera calling Gaete a “f—ing c–t.” Rivera’s reported attempt to apologize to Gaete was rejected.
According to The Post‘s Ben Strauss, this wasn’t the first time Rivera has been at odds with other members of the media. The video of her exchange with Gaeta kicked off an probe by MLB’s Office of Investigations. After the league shared its findings with ESPN, the network’s human resources department launched its own inquiry, which culminated in Rivera’s dismissal.
Reporters told Strauss that, last year, Rivera flipped off another reporter and called her a “white b----” after the reporter attempted to take a picture of a group of players Rivera was also trying to photograph. In a separate incident, she called another reporter a “fake Hispanic.” Both incidents reportedly were witnessed by multiple people.
Rivera spoke to the New York Post after her removal from ESPN, saying that she felt that she was being singled out as a result of “professional disagreements” she’s had with multiple people.
“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.”
