Rick Zamperin: Gregg Zaun’s firing could be the tip of the iceberg

Boy, do I ever hope that I’m wrong.  Sadly, I don’t think that I will be.

Sportsnet fired longtime Blue Jays baseball analyst Gregg Zaun Thursday due to “inappropriate behaviour and comments” towards female employees in the workplace.

“After investigating the matter, we decided to terminate his contract, effective immediately.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "<span style="display:inline !important;float:none;background-color:transparent;color:#333333;cursor:text;font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0;">After investigating the matter, we decided to terminate his contract, effective immediately.</span>"

In a statement, Rogers Media president Rick Brace said the company was terminating the contract of the former Blue Jays catcher turned TV personality effective immediately.

Statement from Rick Brace, president of Rogers Media:

“This week, we received complaints from multiple female employees at Sportsnet regarding inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Zaun in the workplace. After investigating the matter, we decided to terminate his contract, effective immediately. This type of behaviour completely contradicts our standards and our core values. We believe in a professional workplace where all employees feel comfortable and respected. We are grateful to our employees who spoke with us and we will take every measure to protect their privacy.”

Zaun played five years in Toronto from 2004-2008 as part of his 16-year Major League Baseball career and was a fan favourite for his no-nonsense commentary.

In recent weeks, we have seen NBC host Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose of CBS News, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, producer Andrew Kreisberg, actor Kevin Spacey and others implicated and/or fired over inappropriate behaviour or sexual assault allegations.

Zaun, however, is the first person in the world of sports in recent memory to be fired for “inappropriate behaviour.”

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Given the nature of testosterone-rich locker rooms across North America, and beyond, it’s only a matter of time before other sports figures — current stars and former players — face similar allegations.

Let this be a wake-up call to everyone — not just athletes, Hollywood stars or TV personalities — treat everyone with respect or pay the price.