ESPN announcer Ron Franklin was pulled from the network's Fiesta Bowl radio broadcast after calling ESPN sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards "sweetcakes," and then "a–hole," the sports site Sports by Brooks reported.
Franklin and Edwards attended a production meeting before Friday's Chick-fil-A Bowl where Franklin and ESPN announcers Ed Cunningham and Ron Gilmore discussed Gilmore's wife being elected mayor of Alameda, Calif. When Edwards tried to join in, Edwards said, “Why don’t you leave this to the boys, sweetcakes,” according to the site.
Edwards responded, “Don’t call me sweetcakes, I don’t like being talked to like that.”
Franklin answered, “okay then, a–hole,” the site said.
Edwards reported the comments to ESPN management, which confirmed them with Cunningham.
ESPN tried to pull Franklin off the Chick-fil-A Bowl broadcast, but no replacement could be found. But he was pulled from Saturday's Fiesta Bowl radio broadcast.
An ESPN representative contacted by Sports by Brooks declined comment on Franklin’s status with the company. ESPN did not immediately respond to TheWrap's requests for comment Monday.
Franklin is usually scheduled to call Wednesday and Saturday Big 12 basketball telecasts.
