ESPN has suspended former Monday Night Football analyst and host of Pardon The Interruption Tony Kornheiser for two weeks after comments he made on the radio about the wardrobe of SportsCenter host Hannah Storm.

Last week, Kornheiser opened his Washington D.C. radio show by critiquing the clothing Storm was wearing while hosting one of the Tuesday morning editions of "SportsCenter". He said:

Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She's got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt. Way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. And she's got on her typically very, very tight shirt. So she looks like she's got sausage casing wrapping around her upper body. I mean, I know she's very good, and I'm not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won't ... But, Hannah Storm, come on now! Stop! What are you doing? ... [She's] what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point.

Kornheiser later apologized on air for the remarks and said he called Storm to apologize. But when he wasn't on PTI yesterday, suspicions grew that ESPN had suspended Kornheiser for having the audacity to criticize a fellow employee. On Tuesday morning, he confirmed that on the radio:

On Friday I talked about the fact that I had made intemperate and stupid remarks about Hannah Storm and that I had called her and I had apologized and we had a 15-minute chat. All of that is true... And as a result of this, I have been sent to the sidelines from PTI for a while and when I'm allowed back on PTI I will happily go back because I really love the PTI show and love all the people on the PTI show.

Kornheiser then repeated one of his radio mantras: "If you put a live microphone in front of someone, eventually that person will say something wrong." That's true of all the radio greats like Stern, Imus and Limbaugh. (Though Kornheiser doesn't have the national following of those hosts, he's a fantastic radio personality.) And, ironically, what usually gets those guys into trouble is the stuff you wouldn't have found offensive upon first listen.

On a given radio show, Kornheiser might say similar comments about any number of people. He got in trouble this time because ESPN has a strict policy about criticism within the network. Other personalities have been felled by the rule before, so the suspension itself wasn't all that surprising.

It may have a drawback though. Before, the insensitive comments were heard by a select few in the D.C. area and people who frequent sports blogs. Now, they're national news.
[Edited 2/24/10 7:09am]

Okay, Tony is getting more and more annoying. However, even I have noticed Hannah's wardrobe on the show and noticed her skirts are short and outfits tight. Working in an all male, testosterone driven environment like that even I questioned if her clothing was appropriate. But on the flip, she's older AND hot, has paid her dues in the biz and can wear what the fuck she wants. But I dunno, in a world where most females in the sports world are half nekkid cheerleaders, maybe despite her tenure she needs to dress "appropriately" whatever that is.

This is pretty standard for her. She looks GREAT to be almost 48






[Edited 2/24/10 6:38am]

SCNDLS said:

Paid her dues? More like Dad paved the way.

Graycap23 said:

Yeah, her dad is in sports management. BUT she has degrees in Poli Sci AND communications (Notre Dame) and started working in shitty radio stations for YEARS before her first big break. This is not some cheerleader, like MOST of them ESPN chicks, who just fell into ESPN 6 months after retiring their pom-poms. Hannah DEFINITELY got her papers and put in her time and ain't no dumb bunny by any stretch of the imagination.

Storm took her professional surname during her stint as a disc jockey for a hard rock radio station in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the early-1980s. While at Notre Dame, she worked for WNDU-TV, the Notre Dame-owned NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. After graduation, she took a job as a disc jockey at KNCN-FM (C-101) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Six months later, she got a job at a Houston rock station as the drive-time sportscaster. Storm stayed in Houston for four years doing a variety of radio and television jobs, including hosting the Houston Rockets halftime and postgame shows and also hosted Houston Astros postgame shows on television.

CNN
After a brief stint in Charlotte, North Carolina, station WPCQ (now WCNC) as a sports anchor and reporter, Storm's national television experience began as the first female host of CNN Sports Tonight from 1989–1992. She also hosted Major League Baseball Preview and reported from spring training, the playoffs and Daytona 500. During her time at CNN, she met fellow sportscaster Dan Hicks, whom she later married in 1994 and with whom she has three daughters.

NBC Sports
In 1992, Storm left CNN and was hired by NBC. She hosted for the Olympic Games, as well as NBA and WNBA basketball, the National Football League, figure skating, and Major League Baseball. Storm became the first woman in American television history to act as solo host of a network's sports package when NBC had her host Major League Baseball games from 1994 to 2000. She then hosted The NBA on NBC from 1997 to 2002. Storm also anchored NBC Sports coverage of Wimbledon, French Open, Notre Dame football, World Figure Skating Championships, NBC SportsDesk, Men's and Women's U.S. Open (golf) and various college bowl games. Storm also made history as the first play-by-play announcer for the WNBA in 1997. Hannah's extensive sideline and feature reporting includes coverages of the NFL, NBA, professional tennis, men's and women's golf college football and figure skating.

The Early Show
In October 2002, she moved to CBS News and became one of the hosts of The Early Show. As co-host of The Early Show, she covered major news events, including the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, Super Bowls XLI and XXXVIII, the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the 2004 U.S. presidential election, 2008 presidential elections, and the London terror bombings.

ESPN
Storm joined ESPN on May 10, 2008.

Her daddy didn't do all that.
[Edited 2/24/10 6:57am]

They're BOTH ugly.

uPtoWnNY said:

I think Hannah's attractive, now Tony . . .

SCNDLS said:

Hanna is from Chicago and believe me.....Mike Storen had more 2 do with Hanna's rise than u know.

Graycap23 said:

Was he taking her college classes and conducting her interviews? As far as I'm concerned, she's more qualified to be a sportscaster than 95% of the illiterate football/basketball players who are on ESPN right now.

SCNDLS said:

I did not say she was not qualified.