ESPN Fires MLB Reporter After Calling Colleague the C Word

ESPN just made a big decision on one of its MLB reporters. According to the New York Post, Marly Rivera has been fired by the network after an incident at Yankee Stadium in which she uttered the words, “f–king c–t” to a fellow female reporter. The incident occurred last Tuesday when Rivera and fellow reporter Ivón Gaete both attempted to interview Aaron Judge. Rivera said she set up a time with the New York Yankees captain, and when she told Gaete about the appointment, Gaete ignored it. 

During the disagreement, Rivera said the words,  “f–king c–t,” which were caught on video. Following the incident, Rivera attempted to apologize, but Gaete rebuffed her. ESPN confirmed that Rivera “no longer works here,” and her bio is no longer listed along with other network employees. 

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“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, a freelance reporter, is married to John Blundell, the MLB Vice President of Communications. Rivera told The Post she and Blundell had their share of disagreements over the years, which is why she believes the incident blew up and was ultimately fired from ESPN. She has since deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

Rivera, 49, was with ESPN for 13 years covering MLB with an emphasis on the Yankees. She also did work as a reporter for ESPN Deportes and was the second woman of color to have covered the Yankees as a beat. Rivera was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to the United States as a teenager. 

When talking about her Hispanic culture, Rivera said, “I have an accent. My first language is Spanish. I try, I am trying to help your culture, but I still have my culture. You have to respect it. I am not going to give up everything that makes me me just because you don’t like it.”