ESPN personality Chris Russo got himself in some hot water with the network after going a bit too far with a certain admission.
Russo, also known as “Mad Dog,” is known to push limits on television and is given some leeway to do so as ESPN appreciates his authenticity and isn’t looking to muzzle him. But the bosses were upset over a certain comment he made this week.
The 65-year-old joked about possibly sharing a cannabis-infused gummy with the network’s MLB insider Jessica Mendoza that didn’t go over so well in the offices.
“I had a gummy this morning; I’m flying. Oh, I’m flying. I had a gummy. Right before he did the Yankee nonsense,” he said while on ‘First Take.’ “I said let me go gobble one. And I went back with Mendoza, and I took a gummy.”
Chris Russo Clears The Air
Execs at The Worldwide Leader in Sports were not all that happy with Russo, who has since revealed he got into trouble for the joke. He also cleared the air around Mendoza, claiming she didn’t have a gummy with him.
“It’s not accurate and I got in trouble for that,” he told Jimmy Traina on his ‘SI Media’ podcast.
“Because I put Jessica Mendoza in the mix, and I shouldn’t have done that…I indicated that she was in the mix. And that wasn’t the right thing to do. So I’ll take the hit for that. She flew to Oregon right after, I have not heard from her. But ESPN did… what are you gonna do? You can’t please everybody.”
Chris Russo said he wasn’t told to apologize, but it was clear that the higher-ups were displeased with what he said.
Meanwhile, Mendoza hasn’t said anything about the comment; it’s unknown as to whether she was offended.
