ASHBURN, Va. — The radio partner for the Washington Commanders fired its host, Michael Sorce, for on-air comments he made about a local woman TV anchor while at the team’s facility.
Sorce, whose radio name is Don Geronimo, made several disparaging remarks on Thursday about Sharla McBride, who works for WUSA-TV, during his show on WBIG-FM, part of the iHeartMedia network. After spotting McBride, Geronimo said during his broadcast, “Hey look, Barbie’s here. Hi, Barbie girl!”
He later referred to her as “that chick” and also said, “I’m guessing she’s a cheerleader.”
After Thursday’s show, the Commanders informed the station that Geronimo and his producer, Crash Young, could not broadcast from the facility on Friday, as had been planned.
“After an internal review, Don Geronimo is no longer an employee of WBIG. We take matters of this nature very seriously and this behavior does not align with our core values,” iHeartMedia’s D.C. Region president Aaron Hyland said in a statement to the Washington Post, which first reported the firing.
In a statement shared with ESPN, McBride said, “When I heard the comments made about me on the radio show, I felt incredibly insulted and embarrassed. In my 17 years as a professional journalist, I have never been disrespected in such a blatant manner while trying to do my job. Their words were sexist and misogynistic. No woman should experience this in the workplace, and I appreciate the Commanders swift response in handling this matter.”
The Commanders also prohibited the station from airing a previously taped interview with new team owner Josh Harris. Washington had signed a three-year deal with iHeartMedia D.C. last year.
“We were confident that iHeart would address this swiftly and are pleased that they did,” a Commanders spokesperson said.
Geronimo and Mike O’Meara formed the popular “Don and Mike” show that ran in Washington from 1985 to 2008. Geronimo had recently signed an extension with WBIG. Washington coach Ron Rivera appeared weekly on Geronimo’s show during last season.
John Keim
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