Tribune Media Services
One day Harold Reynolds was on the TV set, the next he’s airbrushed out. ESPN snatched the popular sports analyst off its Major League Baseball show weeks ago — and fell silent. There have been accusations and, of course, rumors. What about a fair hearing? Reynolds has never faced the accuser ESPN allowed to end his job (though let’s hope not his career).
Fairness in the U. S. job market, ESPN, is bigger than sports.
Non-baseball fans may not know that Reynolds, 45, is a former gold-glove American League All-Star second baseman. With speed to burn, the deft fielding star was the only other stolen-base leader in the ’80s playing in the league where the swift Ricky Henderson dominated. The youngest of eight children, the Oregon-born Reynolds was never loath to share with family and fans of baseball, especially kids.
When playing in San Diego stadium as a second baseman for the Seattle Mariners, he was impressed by a boldly marked section of the park reserved for underprivileged children. The “Winfield Pavilion” was a standing gift from Padres outfielder Dave Winfield that allowed thousands of city kids to see their first major league game, admission-free. The Winfield Foundation inspired Reynolds to establish, over the years, a series of youth outreach charities such as “Harold’s Heroes.”
At the end of his playing career, the infielder took a job as on-camera analyst on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.” In addition to game reviews, Reynolds covered the college and Little League World Series, and the highly rated celebrity softball game on All-Star Baseball night. He usually worked with a desk team of four, but viewers considered Reynolds the standout personality.
In March, he signed a six-year contract. On July 24, he was let go. (Bloggers have demanded fairness on the site freeharoldreynolds.com.)
ESPN officials are not duty-bound to state why they fired Reynolds and they haven’t officially. Instead, the job was done with rumor leaks to the New York Post. The cover story is that Reynolds was fired because of “sexual harassment.” Reynolds confirms that this is what they told him, but he takes strong exception to the charge.
During questioning about the alleged incident, ESPN was taken aback that Reynolds didn’t disagree with most of the accuser’s related account, according to a knowledgeable source. Whereas wide gaps usually exist between the details of the accuser and the accused, the two versions of what happened here are not that much at odds. Reynolds told the Associated Press, “I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted.”
Interpretation is the contentious bone of this case. As with other cases, an assumption of guilt should not clamp down on the accused in sexual harassment cases without proof.
While it is true that some men have harassed women in the workplace and elsewhere, it is also true that questionable accusations of some women have unjustly cost men their jobs, ended careers and, in the Old South, put them to the torch, tar, feathers and the rope. Such a charge should not put the accused beyond the reach of fairness.
Harold Reynolds has heard his accuser’s charge only through the filters of ESPN’s officials. They didn’t seem to factor in his rights, to say nothing of his interest. The company fired him in an ambush, as these things go, and did it with a scythe and a firm handshake. And now silence.
The rumor leak to the Post covered the company’s backside while elevating Reynolds’ job loss to a possible career loss. His hard-earned reputation and good name be damned. What ever happened to fairness?
Stay tuned.