The saga of Jeremy Roenick and NBC appeared to be over when the network fired the former hockey analyst in February, but now Roenick is suing the network, saying that he was discriminated against for being a straight man. The former Chicago Blackhawks star was let go after he made sexual comments about his coworker Kathryn Tappen on a Barstool Sports podcast, joking that he would have a threesome with her and his wife.
Now, Roenick is suing the network, with the lawsuit accusing NBC of “violating the state law against discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation,” according to Variety. The suit points to figure skating commentator Johnny Weir’s comments during the 2018 Winter Olympics, which Roenick brought up after his own slip-up to Sam Flood, his supervisor:
Roenick said that he had also told Flood that Weir used “colorful commentary” about skaters’ body parts during the 2018 Olympics. Flood allegedly responded that Weir “is gay and can say whatever.”
Roenick is also arguing that Flood discriminated against him due to the former’s support of Donald Trump, claiming that his support for the President is part of why he was fired. As Variety reports, the lawsuit claims that Roenick asked to speak at the Republican National Convention in 2016, only for Flood to hint that it would be a bad idea:
I’m not saying what you can do. You know who you work for. You work for NBC. That would not look good on your NBC record.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the New York Supreme Court, also claims that NBC did not take into account Roenick’s public apology, and did not explore other options for punishment, such as a suspension, undergoing counseling, or donating to an appropriate charity.
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