A former employee at ESPN is suing the company for ‘wrongful termination’ of his contract after he was fired for making a controversial remark about Venus Williams.
During the Australian Open, Doug Adler sparked a social media outcry when he was commenting on Williams’ second round match against Swiss player Stefanie Voegele. During his coverage, outrage erupted when fans heard Adler used the phrase ‘Gorilla effect’ to describe the former world No.1.
“She puts the Gorilla effect on. Charging”. Just wtf. This is not cool @ESPNTennis @espn pic.twitter.com/L46Bwf6sEh
— Shanna 🍍 (@PinaCocoblog) 18 January 2017
Despite issuing a public apology, Adler was dismissed from his job with ESPN just days after following a widespread Twitter campaign, which accused him of being racist towards Williams. In a statement release to the public shortly after the incident, the sports media company said that Adler should have ‘been more careful in his word selection’.
A month after the controversy, Adler has formally launched a lawsuit to protest his innocence, claiming he has been suffering from ‘emotional distress’ over the incident. The 59-year-old, who used to be a professional player, has continuously argued that he never used the word ‘Gorilla’. According to Adler, he used the phrase ‘guerrilla’ in reference to the famous Nike advert of the mid 1990s. In 1995 CBS broadcast a segment called ‘Guerilla Tennis‘ which featured Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
“Obviously, (Adler) saw that commercial many times and the phrase became widely used by those who actually understood tennis vernacular and followed the sport closely,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also cites an example of another prestigious commentator using the phrase ‘Guerrilla effect’. In 2012 it was reported that Pete Bodo used the phrase whilst writing an article about Agnieszka Radwanska for Tennis Magazine (tennis.com).
Speaking exclusively to tmz.com, Adler claims that he was hung out to dry by ESPN because ‘they didn’t want to take the time and energy’ to back him. He also believes that the treatment he received would have been different if the person in question was somebody such as John McEnroe.
It is unknown how much Adler is suing ESPN for with the lawsuit asking for ‘punitive financial damages.’ Throughout the controversy, both of the Williams sisters have refused to comment on the remarks.
