Doug Adler, a tennis commentator and former All-American at USC, has filed a wrongful termination suit against ESPN, after a social media uproar over a phrase he used to describe Venus Williams’ tactics during an Australian Open match last month led to his abrupt firing from the network.
On the call for Williams’ match against Stefanie Voegele on Jan. 18, Adler described one play in which Williams’ tactic of charging the net by saying she “put the guerrilla effect on.” Given the similar pronunciation, his comment was construed by some as “gorilla effect.” Following a tweet by a New York Times tennis writer, Adler’s use of the phrase, which he believes was misinterpreted, soon spread across social media.
“I knew I’d been treated badly and unfairly,” Adler told the Southern California News Group on Tuesday, shortly before his lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. “When I saw what it was doing to my reputation, I knew I’d have to fight for my name.”
Adler’s complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, alleges ESPN “took the easy way out and bowed to the Twitter universe of haters” in its decision to fire him after a 15-year broadcasting career.
When asked for comment, ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said: “We have not been served and am declining further comment.”
Adler says he didn’t know anything was amiss for more than 24 hours after the broadcast and even called more Australian Open matches before his bosses at ESPN replayed the video for him and his partner in the booth, asking if they noticed anything odd about the video. When both said they hadn’t, Adler was told by his executive producer that his comment had “gone viral.”
“They told me the Twitter world had basically started labeling me as a racist,” Adler said.
Adler says he was asked to apologize by the network and reluctantly complied, though he said the apology he wrote was deemed unfit and was rewritten by others at the network. In his apology, Adler said he “simply and inadvertently chose the wrong word to describe (Williams’) play.”
When he read the statement on-air, Adler says he was told by his executive producer to continue calling the match. But the director of the broadcast refused to allow him to join the broadcast.
The next afternoon, Adler received a call from his producer with news that he was fired.
“He said, ‘They just don’t want to fight the other side,’” Adler said. “‘There’s a little bit too much pressure coming from the other side. They’ve decided to let you go.’”
Adler stood by his use of the phrase “guerrilla effect,” saying similar references to warfare are “common to anyone who has put on a jockstrap or worn a sports bra.” He also fervently denied his use of the phrase was racially charged.
As a result of his firing, Adler feels his reputation has been “damaged forever.”
“The irony is that Adler called everything correctly and in a professional manner, whereas ESPN did not — they recklessly made the wrong call,” David Ring, Adler’s attorney, said in a statement. “It was not only political correctness gone overboard, but also a cowardly move that ruined a good man’s career.”
Adler, who lives in Los Angeles, was hired by ESPN in 2008. He earned All-American status as a member of the USC tennis team and was a ranked professional in both singles and doubles, before joining the broadcast booth.
Staff writer Tom Hoffarth contributed to this report.
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