For 18 seasons, Jeremy Roenick played hockey for the NHL, then he became a sports media personality. There is no doubt he is a tough, physical guy – and by all accounts, a good guy. However, he has been taken down by inappropriate, sexually suggestive comments.
Funny isn’t Funny to Everyone
We are living in a new era. As I said above, I don’t believe that Jeremy Roenick is a “bad person,” but in an attempt to make jokes that in his mind (I am sure) were harmless, we received an indefinite suspension.
It started as he was making a guest appearance on a hockey podcast. The first comment was made about an NHL analyst for NBC, Kathryn Tappen. What makes the remark – and its outcome so absurd is that Tappen, and Roenick’s wife are good friends. During the podcast, Roenick laughingly described a vacation the three of them took to Portugal.
Roenick described an incident when a hotel guest asked if the three of them were traveling together. Rather than saying something nice and neutral (or not at all) such as: “Yes, this is my wife and her good friend. We always wanted to visit Portugal.” Here is what he said on the podcast:
“I play it off like we’re going to bed together every night, the three of us…If it really came to fruition, that would really be good. But it’s never going to happen.”
Apparently, the comment was quick to explode on social media. In trying to back-track his remarks, Roenick said that Kathryn Tappen is: “one of the most professional sports personalities I know.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, during the same podcast, Roenick talked about another NHL analyst, Patrick Sharp. Roenick commented on Sharp’s good looks: “he’s so beautiful, I wouldn’t say no right away.”
Compounding the Problem
After receiving his indefinite suspension, Jeremy Roenick publicly stated:
“What a joke! I’m angry and disappointed…I’m also grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to share my love, my passion and my knowledge of the game with millions of people, millions of fans.”
The problem is that this isn’t a joke. It’s sexual harassment.
When interviewed about the incident, Kathryn Tappen said: “While Jeremy and I continue to be good friends, what he said was unacceptable, especially among workplace colleagues. I do not condone his comments.”
She had no choice but to defend herself. To not do so, would have affected her career as well. NBC had no choice either. To let it slide, would have blown back on the network.
Ethically, had Jeremy Roenick wanted to salvage his career, he could have asked NBC for permission to make a statement of apology. He could have explained he meant no harm and that he would try to do better. He could have asked his co-hosts to forgive him. But he didn’t do that, he doubled-down and expressed his outrage at how he was treated.
Here’s the problem compounding the problem: the world is changing. While Roenick might have been the most innocent person in the world, meaning absolutely no disrespect to a friend and co-worker, in millions of other workplaces, this type of activity is not so innocent. Roenick could have pointed that out as well. He didn’t.
These types of problems can be avoided through sexual harassment training. Most often it is the very people who believe they need it the least, are those who need it the most. Being called a sexual harasser is a very tough pill to swallow, especially when someone believes he (or she) isn’t. The whole point of training is to ensure embarrassment and apologies do not need to happen.
One final thought: this case of sexual harassment has absolutely nothing to do with hockey or sports, for that matter. It is about ethics and expectations in the #MeToo era.
LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!
