ESPN's Dave Lamont could lose job for "venting" comment on race call

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When Black women are speaking you should STFU and listen. Dave LaMont is learning this lesson the hard way.

According to NYPost ESPN held a 2-hour college football conference call last month to discuss race relations in America following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Hundreds of people were listening in and many ESPN employees, both on-air and behind-the-scenes, gave testimony to the bigotry and hate they had endured in their life. Maria Taylor, a college football reporter and frequent guest on shows like First Take and Around The Horn was sharing her story when she was rudely interrupted.

Dave, who thought his phone was on mute, was heard telling his wife that the call he was one was more “venting” than anything. We can already hear some of you cringing. That type of dismissiveness will get anybody in trouble but a white man saying that while a Black woman is bearing her soul, BIG yikes. So much yikes, in fact, that Dave might not have a job at the worldwide leader soon. Taylor immediately called Dave to the front of the congregation so that she could verbally undress him for his flippant attitude. The report states that others on the call were equally as offended.

LaMont tried to offer a mea culpa to his bosses but it might be too little, too late…

“A comment was made to my wife that was overheard on the college football call, offending some who heard it,” LaMont said in a statement to The Post. “We have a racially integrated home and I respect and admire those who spoke up about their experiences. I profusely apologize to everyone on the call.”

“Racially integrated”? Was his house the Fifth Avenue School in Huntsville, Alabama in 1963?? Apparently, Dave’s family informally “adopted” a Black child named Tedarrell Slaton during his high school years. Slaton now plays football and the Universtiy of Florida and notedly has a tattoo that reads: “Family shows no color”.

We beg to f***ing differ but we digress.

Lamont says he “believes” that he still works for ESPN but the network would not affirm that belief when pressed.

“We took this matter very seriously, both in the moment and subsequently, and have addressed it appropriately,” ESPN said in a statement to The Post. “Consistent with policy, we have no plans to publicly share the specifics involving individual personnel matters.”

In a company-wide letter addressed to the participants on the call, Lee Fitting, the senior vice president of ESPN, called the comment “unacceptable”.