ESPN fired former NFL star Hugh Douglas after reports that he had a drunken N-word-tossing confrontation with his “Numbers Never Lie” co-host.
Douglas had not appeared on the show after sports Web sites reported that he nearly came to blows with colleague Michael Smith at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Orlando on Aug. 3.
According to The Big Lead, witnesses said an inebriated Douglas threatened to beat up Smith three times. Douglas reportedly had tried to get on a stage where a DJ was playing.
When Smith, also an African-American, didn’t join him, Douglas called him a “house n—-r” and “Uncle Tom” before onlookers broke them up, reports said.
ESPN initially said it was looking into the fracas and yesterday announced “Douglas no longer works at ESPN as of today.”
Douglas, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Jets and Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles, tweeted yesterday: “I am very disappointed to be leaving ESPN and will have more to say about this situation and my future at the appropriate time.”