Ugly Media-Athlete Confrontations

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Aug 16, 2010

Ugly Media-Athlete Confrontations

Corey Pavin

On the eve of the 2010 PGA Championship, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin had a heated exchange with Golf Channel reporter Jim Gray after Pavin insisted that Gray misquoted him about Tiger Woods' prospects for making the team. Standing nose-to-nose with Pavin in front of a group of media members, Gray called him a liar and said, "You're going down." The Tour pro responded, "You're full of it." At one point Gray started to walk away, prompting Pavin to say, "You're just going to walk off?" Gray then returned to face Pavin and the men continued jawing at each other in raised voices. Here's a look at just some of the other heated media vs. athlete/coach incidents (in this case we've excluded the classic news-conference or group-setting meltdowns, such as Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy's or former Royals manager Hal McRae's, and focus on individual encounters).

Jim Everett

In 1994, on the set of Jim Rome's raucous call-in show on ESPN2, Rams quarterback Jim Everett knocked Rome off his chair after Rome taunted Everett by calling him "Chris," a veiled reference to the passer's reputed lack of toughness. Rome left the network shortly after, but he has since returned to ESPN with Jim Rome Is Burning .

Deion Sanders

After the Braves won the 1992 NL pennant with a Game 7 victory against the Pirates, Deion Sanders sneaked up on CBS sportscaster Tim McCarver to douse him with multiple buckets of ice water. Sanders was upset with McCarver for having said on the air earlier in the series that it was "flat-out wrong" for Sanders to fly to Miami in the middle of the night to play a football game with the Falcons and then fly back to Pittsburgh for a baseball game the same night. McCarver responded to Sanders' actions by saying, "You're a real man, Deion."

Raymond Clayborn

In one of the legendary encounters between athlete and reporter, the late Will McDonough of the Boston Globe punched Patriots cornerback Raymond Clayborn in the locker room in 1979 after being provoked. Clayborn expressed regret for the incident and described it as his "biggest setback."

Kenny Rogers

Rangers left-hander Kenny Rogers was suspended 20 games and fined $50,000 after shoving two cameramen and tossing a camera to the ground and kicking it in June 2005. One of the cameramen, Larry Rodriguez, was treated at a hospital, and Rogers faced misdemeanor assault charges and a lawsuit. An arbitrator reduced Rogers' suspension to 13 games, the pitcher attended anger-management counseling and he settled out of court with Rodriguez.

Dominik Hasek

After taking himself out of Game 3 of a 1997 playoff series against Ottawa, sore-kneed goalie Dominik Hasek was incensed when a column by the Buffalo Evening News ' Jim Kelley questioned his mental toughness and revealed details of his strained relationship with Sabres coach Ted Nolan. After a Game 5 loss, Hasek yelled at Kelley, shoved him and ripped his shirt before the fracas was broken up. Hasek was suspended three games and fined $10,000 by the NHL. "I didn't think the column was worthy of such an over-the-top reaction, but it was a volatile time inside the [Sabres'] organization," recalled Kelley, who now writes for SI.com. "Hasek gave a pro-forma apology because he was forced to by the league. I knew from the first word it wasn't real. He did say years later to a reporter from Buffalo [Bucky Gleason] that in hindsight he was sorry he did it. This time I believed him."

Dennis Rodman

Bulls forward Dennis Rodman kicked a courtside cameraman in the groin during a game in Minneapolis in 1997. Eugene Amos was carried off on a stretcher and treated at a hospital. The ill-tempered rebounding ace served an 11-game NBA suspension, was fined $25,000 and reportedly agreed to pay Amos $200,000.

Bobby Bonilla

In April 1993, not long after the release of Bob Klapisch's book about the Mets' '92 collapse, Bobby Bonilla mocked and threatened the sportswriter. Saying he was "just chillin'," Bonilla implored Klapisch to "make your move" and warned, "I'll hurt you. I'll show you the Bronx." Then he swatted away the microphone of a television crew that recorded the scene. Klapisch called the scene "the most uncomfortable 10 minutes of my professional life."

Urban Meyer

Upset with the Orlando Sentinel 's Jeremy Fowler last March for publishing a quote by receiver Deonte Thompson that came across as his slighting Tim Tebow, Florida coach Urban Meyer confronted the reporter while cameras rolled, called him a "bad guy" and said, "If that was my son, we'd be going at it right now." Meyer later apologized to Fowler.

Albert Belle

Surly slugger Albert Belle obscenely blasted NBC reporter Hannah Storm for being in the Indians' dugout two hours before Game 3 of the 1995 World Series, though she was there for a scheduled interview with Kenny Lofton. Belle later apologized, but reportedly told Storm, "You've got to stop wearing your hair like that" because he confused her with Lesley Visser. The next season, Belle shouted "No, no, no" at SI photographer Tony Tomsic, who was snapping photos of Belle stretching before a game in Cleveland. Tomsic retreated, but continued taking photos after Belle went to the outfield. Through his viewfinder, Tomsic saw Belle, 100 feet away, throw a ball that hit Tomsic, cutting his knuckles. "I told you not to take my picture, a------!" Belle yelled. Tomsic, who declined to register a formal complaint, was treated by an Indians trainer.

Tony Stewart

The tempestuous Tony Stewart was fined, by NASCAR and his sponsor, and put on season-long probation after punching photographer Gary Mook following the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis in August 2002. Stewart had been fined and placed on probation the previous year for slapping away a reporter's tape recorder.

Milton Bradley

During the 2004 playoffs, Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley called Los Angeles Times beat writer Jason Reid an "Uncle Tom" and a "sellout" after objecting to the reporter's question about his treatment by St. Louis Cardinals fans. Reid then yelled at Bradley before players separated the two. The combustible Bradley apologized to Reid; he was not disciplined by the Dodgers or Major League Baseball.

Jim Rice

The Hall of Fame outfielder's adversarial relationship with the media was on display in 1987 when he ripped the shirt of Hartford Courant reporter Steve Fainaru during an altercation. An on-deadline Fainaru, his shirt in tatters, returned to the press box to finish his story. The next day, Rice shook Fainaru's hand and offered him a new shirt (which the reporter declined).

Dan Pastorini

Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini ( pictured, left ) scuffled more than once with the Houston Post 's Dale Robertson, including an instance at the team's practice facility in 1980 when Pastorini shoved Robertson through a door in reaction to an article in that morning's newspaper. Robertson landed at the feet of coach Bum Phillips ( pictured, right ), who at that moment was telling reporters that the Oilers had never had any issues with the media. Phillips then added, "Until now."

Sammy Sosa

In 2002, Sports Illustrated 's Rick Reilly wrote down for Sammy Sosa -- who had said he wanted to be first in line if baseball tests for steroids -- the name and phone number of a drug-testing lab and asked him, "Well, why wait?" Sosa, according to Reilly, grew angry, cursed at the columnist and said, "You're not my father! Why do you tell me what to do? Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

Randy Johnson

While en route to taking a physical that would finalize his 2005 trade to the Yankees, Randy Johnson lashed out first with a New York cameraman and then with a newspaper photographer. The Big Unit was seen on video yelling at cameraman Vinny Everett and pushing his camera, with the ornery ace warning the media member to back off "or you'll see what I'm like." As Johnson walked away, Everett said, "Welcome to New York."

Jim McMahon

Jim McMahon struggled in his one season with the Chargers, in 1989. At one point, the brash quarterback responded to a question from San Diego reporter T.J. Simers by blowing his nose on him. Simers, now working for the Los Angeles Times , caught up with McMahon at a celebrity golf tournament in July 2010. McMahon told Simers, ""(NFL commissioner Paul) Tagliabue tried kicking me out of the league for that. I told him it was either that or hitting you in the head, and I already had enough problems with cops."

Dave Kingman

Slugger Dave Kingman had several problems with female journalists, including an incident in 1986 in which the A's DH tried to play a practical joke on Sacramento Bee writer Susan Fornoff in Kansas City. In the first inning, Fornoff received a pink box. When she opened it, she found a live rat with a note tied to its tail that read, "My name is Sue." After the game, Kingman told reporters, "This is a man's clubhouse. If someone can't take a simple joke, they shouldn't be in the game."

Ozzie Guillen

Before a June 2006 game in Chicago, fiery White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen launched a profane public tirade about Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti, who had been critical of Guillen. "What a piece of [expletive] he is, [expletive] fag," said Guillen, who was hit with an undisclosed fine and ordered to undergo sensitivity training by commissioner Bud Selig. Guillen later told reporters, "One thing I'm going to make clear is I apologize to the [gay] community, but to Jay, no chance. This thing is on and on for good."

Zeke Mowatt

Patriots tight end Zeke Mowatt (who spent most of his career with the Giants) was at the center of an alarming incident on Sept. 17, 1990, when he and several naked teammates surrounded and taunted Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson in the locker room after practice. The players made sexually suggestive comments and lewd gestures, and a 108-page investigative report by the NFL disclosed that Mowatt had fondled himself while asking Olson, "Is this what you want?" After the story broke, the NFL fined the Patriots $50,000, Mowatt $12,500 and Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman $5,000 apiece. Olson reported getting obscene phone calls, hate mail and death threats from Patriots fans. She sued the team for civil harassment and won a reported $250,000 settlement.

Ryan Leaf

On Sept. 20, 1998, in his third pro game, Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf completed 1-of-15 passes for four yards and committed five turnovers in a 23-7 loss to the Chiefs. After the game, Leaf allegedly cursed at a cameraman in the locker room. A day later, upset that the San Diego Union-Tribune had reported about an incident that he denied ever happened, Leaf went on a caught-on-video tirade against writer Jay Posner. "Don't talk to me, all right?" Leaf yelled. "Knock it off." Junior Seau eventually stepped in to escort Leaf away.

Ugly Media-Athlete Confrontations