Paul Pierce and ESPN split after Instagram madness

This episode with Pierce reminds me a bit of former Democratic candidate for President Gary Hart.  He was being dogged by allegations of womanizing and he encouraged reporters to "follow him around" and see how he's blameless, and then got photographed with Donna Rice sitting on his lap on a boat named 'Monkey Business'.

I am certainly not one to get all "holier-than-thou" with anybody.  I have so many skeletons in my closet they could form a New Orleans wedding parade, but if you're a public figure you have to take into account that the same spotlight that makes you a public figure shines equally bright on the normally darker corners of your life as well and if you don't want them to be seen then you should at least be more aware about how obvious they are.


Bob


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bobheckler wrote:This episode with Pierce reminds me a bit of former Democratic candidate for President Gary Hart.  He was being dogged by allegations of womanizing and he encouraged reporters to "follow him around" and see how he's blameless, and then got photographed with Donna Rice sitting on his lap on a boat named 'Monkey Business'.

I am certainly not one to get all "holier-than-thou" with anybody.  I have so many skeletons in my closet they could form a New Orleans wedding parade, but if you're a public figure you have to take into account that the same spotlight that makes you a public figure shines equally bright on the normally darker corners of your life as well and if you don't want them to be seen then you should at least be more aware about how obvious they are.

Bob
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Which is among the reasons my boat is named after my wife...

...and she's the only blonde that's been photographed aboard sitting on my lap.

My point is, he should know better. He obviously knew that by putting it on Instgram he was going to get backlash or joking. I do think he did nothing different than any of these guys do day in and day out. Look at Harden last year, he paid a big fine but did anyone say "throw him out"

Paul has something brewing, I have no idea what, but the lack of masks and social distancing was like waving a flag. Keep it off social media

NYCelt wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:I kinda like Scalabrine, but I haven't posted in  a while and that's not a hill I want to die on. The fact that he appreciates the  skills of guys on other teams is a + for me. Different strokes.

With you on this one. I like Scal. He understands the game like only an NBA vet can but tries not to push it.

I also think it’s important that he be different than Tommy and not a homer.

Anyone similar to Tommy is going to come off as a cheap imitation of a unique individual.

I have no problem with Scal not being a homer and yes he does understand the game. No there is only one Tommy.
My issues with Scal are-
1-He misses calls. How many times does he have to say “I think his foot was on the line Mike”. Mike says, “No I think thats a 3”. Replay early shows its a 3. Scal “Whoaaaa you’re right!!” This happens way too often.
2-He says “I don’t know” way too much. As an analyst he is supposed to know. That is why he has the job. (Players perspective)
3- Consistently contradicts himself on the pre and post game show. (Perk has called him out numerous times)
4- Bullies Abby. He has kind of slacked off a bit on this so I think someone must’ve had a word with him but when she first started hosting, Scal was brutal on her. She’s a pretty lousy host but she doesn’t deserve to be bullied.
My main issue comes down to Scal not doing his homework thus the numerous “I don’t knows”. We know he knows the game so thats makes  the “I don’t knows” all the more glaring. He’s not taking the time to do his home work.
And finally, If I hear him say MY radio show one more time.... It’s not his radio show, That radio show that he co-hosts on Sirius XM has been on the air since he was a player. They’ve had numerous co-hosts and he’s barely on half the time. On top of that he never mentions the other host who probably helped get him the job and carries him most of the show through his “I don’t know’s” Scal is tripping but if he's not annoying to some people thats understandable. Sometimes it just comes down to taste. My issue is that he is just a bad broadcaster and I listen and watch from a different perspective than most folks so maybe I’m the one tripping.LOL
I realize that I may be overly critical of Scal but it doesn’t mean I’m wrong! :>)

112288 wrote:This is written towards ESPN which is a BS network that should be focusing on sports and not politics and political correctness.

Is it a major deal what Paul did?  No! Was it kind of stupid? Yes!  But who the hell is it anyones business anyway!!!!!   Paul did what he did.  What, drinking and having a boys night out playing cards, big deal!  Not waring a mask and not follow safety protocol. Were others in the place also not following safety protocols?   Girls in the room?  Tell me guys, how many times did some of you do the things Paul did in your life?  People have to stop being pollyannaish!  Well you may say, HE DID NOT FOLLOW SAFETY PROTOCOL............

Did Paul beat up his wife or girl friend or sexually assault a women...........NO

We all have to take a chill pill and get some relaxation on the beach!

112288

I’m not disagreeing with your perspective on this. Paul did nothing wrong. Didn’t break any laws. Didn’t hurt anyone else, but he did do something...He hurt himself. He made a bad decision. Not for what he was doing but for making sure that everyone on the planet knew what he was doing.
Folks that work at the networks sign agreements and included in those agreements is that you will not do things publicly that will reflect in poor taste upon yourself or the network. I get what you are saying but from the Networks perspective people associate Paul with 2 things, Basketball and ESPN. He doesn’t play Basketball anymore. He works for ESPN. When he is off the clock he still represents ESPN, fair or not and they sign agreements stating that. If they did not sign those agreements it would not be as easy to let them go. Paul made the mistake of posting that to his Instagram account and it cost him. I hate it for him but somehow I think he’ll be fine.