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Erin Andrews: ESPN Forced Me To Go On TV And Talk About My Stalker

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R

Randolph Freelander

Member
Worldwide leader stays losing.

http://deadspin.com/erin-andrews-espn-forced-me-to-go-on-tv-and-talk-about-1762058985

Fox broadcaster Erin Andrews took the stand today in the trial over her civil suit against the Nashville hotel where she was videotaped undressing through her hotel room peephole. In one of the most frightening bits of testimony in a case full of them, Andrews explained how ESPN—her employer at the time—forced her to discuss the issue on national television, against her will, before she was allowed to return to her broadcasting duties.

On July 16, 2009, video of the naked Andrews was posted to the website NSFW POA. Nearly three months later, on October 2, 2009, Michael David Barrett was arrested for creating the video. Barrett eventually pleaded guilty to interstate stalking, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Fighting unsuccessfully to hold back tears as she answered questions from her lawyer today, Andrews testified that “everybody” thought she orchestrated the video as a publicity stunt: “Probably for like three months, everybody thought it was a publicity stunt. The front page of the New York Post said ‘ESPN Scandal.’ To Fox News and CBS, everybody put up that I was doing it for publicity and attention, and that ripped me apart.”

Before Barrett was arrested, that “everybody” apparently included her employer ESPN, who didn’t stand fully behind her and forced her to re-live the trauma in front of millions, according to her testimony. (An ESPN spokesperson “respectfully” declined comment.)
Click to expand...

More behind the link, including Q & A. ESPN wanted her to go on Good Morning America (ABC) to talk about it prior to letting her back on the air after she was videotaped through a hotel peephole while undressed. She ended up agreeing to the interview, but with Oprah instead.

We went, I wanted nothing to do with it. I was in the office, or her green room, and I was sitting there and I was just bawling at my parents. “It’s Oprah Winfrey, how do you not want to see her?” And I was just freaking out, and I just said “I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to do this. I just want to go back to college football. I don’t want to talk about what happened to me, why can’t I just be normal? Like, why can’t I go back?”

I think her producer had heard me crying, and all of a sudden in walked Oprah, in her slippers, and her butterfly eyelashes. I didn’t have time to get up out of the chair, and she walked over to me, and I was hysterical. And she said, “I’ve got you, you’re safe here. I’ll take care of you.” And I did the interview.
Click to expand...

Keep it classy, ESPN.

Update [March 7]:

Illusive_Juan said:
Via The Associated Press -- Jury awards $55M to Erin Andrews in Lawsuit over nude video taken at hotel.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind, this settlement is against the hotel chain and employee, not ESPN.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/erin-andrews-jury-set-deliberate-75-million-lawsuit/story?id=37460110

The jury has awarded Erin Andrews $55 million in her civil lawsuit over the secret recording and release of a video showing her naked during a hotel stay.

The sportscaster's original suit asked for $75 million from the owner and operator of the Nashville, Tennessee, hotel where she was staying, and Michael David Barrett, the stalker who used a hacksaw to tamper with her room's peephole and record the video in 2008.

The jurors took photos with Andrews after the amount was announced, and she signed autographs, according to reports from inside the courtroom.

The jury found Barrett to be 51 percent at fault and required him to pay out more than $28 million. West End Hotel Partners, which owns and operates that Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, was found to be 49 percent at fault and asked to pay out more than $26 million.

West End Hotel Partners has said Barrett's criminal actions were his responsibility, not theirs. Barrett was convicted in criminal court of stalking Andrews and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Click to expand...
 
C

cdyhybrid

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
Worldwide leader stays losing.

http://deadspin.com/erin-andrews-espn-forced-me-to-go-on-tv-and-talk-about-1762058985



More behind the link, including Q & A. ESPN wanted her to go on Good Morning America (ABC) to talk about it prior to letting her back on the air after she was videotaped through a hotel peephole while undressed. She ended up agreeing to the interview, but with Oprah instead.



Keep it classy, ESPN.
Click to expand...
People are still watching, how are they losing?
 
A

Acorn

Member
Jesus.

Having your privacy invaded then being forced to talk about it publicly again violating privacy. Heartless fools.
 
H

hodayathink

Member
Orthogonal said:
Really disturbing. How can ESPN make her say anything about it? It is completely irrelevant to her job.
Click to expand...

I mean, they probably couldn't literally make her if she wanted to forcefully challenge it, but maybe their thinking was that unless she did the interview, people would still think it was a publicity stunt? Either way, this is just shameful. I get why you'd want to have the interview done sooner rather than later (ratings), but forcing her to do it before you'll let her on the air instead of letting her do it on her own schedule/time is just so unfeeling and so corporate.
 
K

KarmaCow

Member
I'm confused, were they trying to get ratings or worse, hoping to grill her until she recanted? It's horrible either way but I'm genuinely baffled by the sadism of this decision.
 
H

hodayathink

Member
KarmaCow said:
I'm confused, were they trying to get ratings or worse, hoping to grill her until she recanted? It's horrible either way but I'm genuinely baffled by the sadism of this decision.
Click to expand...

Ratings. That's why they wanted her to do it for GMA (ABC and Disney being owned by the same company, and Disney/ABC themselves produce GMA). Oprah was a compromise (still aired by ABC, but produced by Harpo/Oprah).
 
H

hodayathink

Member
DominoKid said:
she isn't going to work for Fox forever. she might have aspiration of doing some shit like GMA and if she sues ESPN thats a bridge burnt for life.
Click to expand...

Especially since her career has stalled at Fox just like it stalled at ESPN. It doesn't seem like anyone's clamoring to give her a desk/anchor job right now, at least in sports media.
 
K

KarmaCow

Member
hodayathink said:
Ratings. That's why they wanted her to do it for GMA (ABC and Disney being owned by the same company, and Disney/ABC themselves produce GMA). Oprah was a compromise (still aired by ABC, but produced by Harpo/Oprah).
Click to expand...

That make more sense. The marketing chucklefucks never stop working.
 
R

RBH

Member
It was heartbreaking to watch Erin Andrews break down in tears today when she was on the stand in the court room.

Just feel terrible for her.
 
M

MultiJhonny

Banned
entremet said:
Against the hotel where she stayed and was peeped on.

It's in the OP ;)
Click to expand...

I lterally read everything in there and somehow missed that she took the stand today... I feel stupid lol

Got caught up in the years and was thinking about how long ago this whole ordeal was.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
It's likely that Erin didn't want to reveal this but had to for the case. She was under oath. It could have also been advice given to her by her legal counsel.
 
R

Randolph Freelander

Member
Added to OP:

Keep in mind, this settlement is against the hotel chain and employee, not ESPN.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/erin-andrews-jury-set-deliberate-75-million-lawsuit/story?id=37460110

The jury has awarded Erin Andrews $55 million in her civil lawsuit over the secret recording and release of a video showing her naked during a hotel stay.

The sportscaster's original suit asked for $75 million from the owner and operator of the Nashville, Tennessee, hotel where she was staying, and Michael David Barrett, the stalker who used a hacksaw to tamper with her room's peephole and record the video in 2008.

The jurors took photos with Andrews after the amount was announced, and she signed autographs, according to reports from inside the courtroom.

The jury found Barrett to be 51 percent at fault and required him to pay out more than $28 million. West End Hotel Partners, which owns and operates that Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, was found to be 49 percent at fault and asked to pay out more than $26 million.

West End Hotel Partners has said Barrett's criminal actions were his responsibility, not theirs. Barrett was convicted in criminal court of stalking Andrews and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Click to expand...
 
L

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
It's split about 50/50 between the Hotel and the Stalker, and the Stalker is a nobody who never would have sniffed $28 million in his life. But she can get that Hotel money, while making sure he's got a nice pay garnishment for the rest of his working life.
 
V

Violence Jack

Member
Illusive_Juan said:
Via The Associated Press -- Jury awards $55M to Erin Andrews in Lawsuit over nude video taken at hotel.
Click to expand...

Didn't one of the hotel employees admit to giving Erin's room number out to the guy who filmed her?

At least now I have a better idea as to why she jumped ship to Fox Sports so quickly.
 
Allforce

Allforce

Member
Well she'll never get 28 million from Barrett, but that's a good amount from the hotel which was just as complacent in all this.

I mean, they gave up her room info to the guy, moved him to be near her, and then the hotel manager was caught by a waitress showing the fucking video on his phone to his partners at a nearby restaurant after it was uploaded online.
 
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