JR PUCKED BY NBC

Hockey analyst Jeremy Roenick sues NBC over ‘threesome’ firing

 

By Priscilla DeGregory

 

New York Post

July 17, 2020

 

Hockey analyst Jeremy Roenick has accused NBC of wrongfully firing him over his infamous threesome comments saying the network held him to a different standard than skating commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, a new lawsuit shows.

The 50-year-old former NHL forward was fired from the network in February following comments he made on a Dec. 18 episode of Barstool Sports’ podcast “Spittin’ Chiclets,”  in which he joked about the possibility that he would “go to bed” with his wife and coworker Kathryn Tappen on a vacation in Portugal.

Roenick says that racy comments that former figure skating Olympians Lipinski and Weir made on a July 2 spoof video of 1998 Olympic bronze medalist figure skater Bradie Tennell in which they made innuendos about a camel toe and an affair, prove that Roenick was held to a different standard than they were, the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from Friday alleges.

Lipinski posted the since-removed video to her Instagram account May 29 allegedly making a thinly veiled reference to a camel toe when she introduced Tennell saying, “Nice camel spin into a toe loop,” despite the fact Tennell hadn’t attempted either move in the video clip, USA Today reported earlier this month.

Then Weir and actress Elizabeth Banks joked about Weir cheating on his “wife” Lipinski after Weir said of Tennell, “I’m really hoping we get to see her quads during this program,” even though Tennell hadn’t tried for a quadruple jump, the outlet reported.

The suit also claims that during the 2018 Olympics “after hearing colorful commentary regarding the body parts of ice skaters from analyst/commentator Johnny Weir” Roenick asked his boss Sam Flood about the remarks and Flood responded that Weir, “is gay and can say whatever,” the court papers allege.

Roenick brought 12 claims against NBC Sports and Flood including one that alleges he was discriminated against because of his sex or sexual orientation while Lipinski — a woman — and Weir — a gay man — were not suspended or terminated for similar conduct, the court documents show.

Roenick also claimed that he was fired despite the fact that he made a public apology and that Tappen told him that “she was not offended by his comments but was pressured by both NBC and a woman’s rights organization to make a statement condemning Roenick’s comments,” the court documents say.

Roenick argues that the network could have penalized him in other ways that would have allowed him to keep him job such as putting him on temporary suspension, requiring him to seek counseling, requiring him to donate to a charity or having he and Tappen release a joint statement.

These options or any combination of them “would have allowed NBC to send the message to the community at large that his comments were inappropriate and could not be tolerated while not ruining Roenick’s post-playing career,” the court papers say.

Roenick says the scandal also caused him to lose lucrative contracts with “Kraft Hockeyville,” and with Molson Coors Beverage company. Further, he says he normally makes roughly 15 public appearances a year, which pay around $10,000 each, and since he was fired many of these events have canceled on him, the court filings claim.

Roenick’s lawyer, Scott William Clark, told The Post, “Mr. Roenick is the victim of double standards wrongfully asserted against him.

“A person’s career should not be thrown away by a company as Mr. Roenick’s career was with NBC. We are confident that the evidence that will be brought to light from this lawsuit will reveal the rampant disregard of Mr. Roenick’s rights.”

Roenick is suing for unspecified damages.

NBC Sports reps declined to comment because they had not seen the papers. Reps for Lipinski and Weir also did not immediately return requests for comment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Poor old JR forgot TV is not the locker room.