Chicago, IL – Susannah Collins has been fired from her job covering the Chicago Blackhawks for Comcast SportsNet.
Collins made a “Freudian slip” on Tuesday night during the pregame show of the NHL team’s first playoff game, which led to her downfall. The sports reporter/anchor stated that the Blackhawks had a “tremendous amount of sex ” during the regular season when she meant to say “success.” See embed below
Collins immediately corrected herself, but the flub subsequently went viral.
In a statement, Comcast insisted that the sex comment was not the reason that Collins will no longer work the Blackhawks games through their Stanley Cup playoff run: “Due to circumstances unrelated to her on-air remarks Tuesday night, Susannah Collins and Comcast SportsNet Chicago have parted ways. We appreciate everything Susannah has contributed to our network over the past year and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
So what was the reason that she is now off the air if it wasn’t the “tremendous amount of sex” blooper? It may perhaps have been a series of edgy YouTube videos that she previously made: “But the mistake put a spotlight on Collins, and that quickly refocused attention on a series of raunchy YouTube videos uploaded between 2009 and 2010. As co-host of Sports Nutz, Collins pushed the boundaries of sports journalism — and good taste — with sexually explicit reports and potentially offensive racial stereotypes.”
The Blackhawks won Tuesday night’s game 2-1 against the Minnesota Wild on a Bryan Bickell overtime goal.
Prior to working for Comcast in Chicago, Collins — a University of Illinois graduate — worked for Showtime Sports, the NFL Network, and the CBS TV affiliate in New York.
Thanks for laughing along with me & my “tremendous” slip, guys. Who couldn’t use a good chuckle every now & then right?? #Whoops !
— Susannah Collins (@susannahcollins) May 1, 2013
Collins also was the reporter interviewing Mr. T when he scored a goal in between periods of a Blackhawks game in March at the United Center.
In a separate incident, rookie news anchor A.J. Clemente was recently fired by a zero-tolerance North Dakota TV station on his first night on the job for letting loose with some profanity.
Do you think that Comcast overreacted when it “parted ways” with Susannah Collins after this incident? Do you consider this blooper a firing offense?
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