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After ESPN originally removed tennis commentator Doug Adler from its Australian Open coverage team following his remarks about Venus Williams during her second round match were construed as having racist undertones, the network reportedly fired him.
In response, Adler is suing ESPN:
Former ESPN tennis analyst @dougadlertennis sued @espn in LA today for firing him for using term “guerrilla effect.” Bravo.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 14, 2017
Opening paragraph of @dougadlertennis lawsuit against @espn. I think he’ll win. Fascinating case. pic.twitter.com/lWqhvNOLRw
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 14, 2017
Iconic "guerrilla" tennis ad from Nike featuring Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi: https://t.co/fLDsVqSC50
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 25, 2017
Yes, he says he's used the guerrilla term dozens of times over the past ten years on ESPN. Listen to him now on https://t.co/qXatC0u9cd https://t.co/4xqkLUqW4K
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 25, 2017
In an email statement to BET.com, the network said Adler should have chosen his words more wisely, and also confirmed has been removed from further broadcasts of the tournament.
"During an Australian Open stream on ESPN3, Doug Adler should have been more careful in his word selection," the statement read. "He apologized and we have removed him from his remaining (Australian Open) assignments."
In the call, Adler used the term "guerrilla effect" or "gorilla effect" to describe Williams' aggressive play in the match. His choice of words, however, spawned a backlash on Twitter with many who heard the broadcast calling for him to be fired for what they perceived as him comparing Williams to a gorilla.
For his part, Adler, a former professional tennis player himself, said he was referring to Williams tactics on the court and "simply and inadvertently chose the wrong word to describe her play."
