Because of his "Kill Bill" rant in his blog, ESPN fired Gregg Easterbrook from his "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" job and removed all his archived columns. I think it's a major overreaction by ESPN to comments that clearly were made in haste and without the benefit of an editor. Possibly they're trying to be oversensitive now, in the wake of Rush Limbaugh's racist comments on their NFL pregame show, but in this case, it's obviously a case of retribution by Michael Eisner for Easterbrook's disparaging comments. Howard Kurtz has some quotes to this effect by Easterbrook's colleagues and friends over at the Washington Post. Even though Easterbrook's blog and his ESPN.com gig aren't related, I can understand to some extent why ESPN took the action it did. My other favorite columnist on Page 2 is Bill Simmons, and he always restrains himself from commenting on his employers or their coverage of sporting events. I wish we could get his insights on ESPN and ABC, but I understand that he's able to keep his gig by keeping his mouth shut. It looks like Easterbrook would have been wise to follow the Sports Guy's lead. But that doesn't excuse ESPN for its knee-jerk reaction, especially in light of his total apology. The man isn't anti-Semitic, and he's paid for his mistake. Let him keep his job, for God's sake.
I've sent a nasty e-mail to the editors at ESPN.com and a message of support to Easterbrook himself. I hope that he can find another home for TMQ; it's been a highlight of my football season for two years now. Where else will I find out about the hottest cheerleaders in the league? Stop me before I e-mail again!
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