An on-air interview with an overeager New England Patriots fan nearly resulted in an unwanted kiss for a female reporter, who responded to the improper advance by blasting the man on social media.
Erin Kate Dolan, a reporter for PointsBet Sportsbook, was doing a pregame interview with a fan in a Tom Brady jersey ahead of Monday night’s game between the Patriots and New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
As seen in video Dolan posted on Twitter, the interview ended with the man leaning in to kiss her as she turned her head away, stuck out her tongue in disgust, and darted off screen.
‘Some assume being on camera is glamorous,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘Sometimes it’s not.
‘I laughed off this fan trying to kiss me at MNF, but I was PISSED!’ she continued. ‘I’m not the first broadcaster to experience this & I won’t be the last, unfortunately.
‘I truly love what I do, but this field can test you.’
As seen in video Dolan posted on Twitter, the interview ended with the man leaning in to kiss her as she turned her head away, stuck out her tongue in disgust, and darted off screen
Erin Kate Dolan describes herself online as ‘the on-air talent and global face of PointsBet, America’s fastest growing online bookmaker’
Although Dolan appeared to laugh the incident off, she later admitted to being very angry
As Dolan pointed out, many other women in the profession have endured similar incidents
Dolan’s other pre-game interviews on Monday occurred without incident and were mostly centered around betting lines being offered by her website.
In the case of the Tom Brady fan, however, things went horribly wrong. Not only did he try to force himself on Dolan, but he still pursued her after she walked away from him.
Dolan is not the only woman to endure such advances during an on-air interview this year.
Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev drew criticism and a suspension from the California State Athletic Commission in March after he celebrated a victory by trying to kiss Vegas Sports Daily’s Jennifer Ravalo (known as Jenny SuShe) during an on-air interview.
SuShe hired lawyer Gloria Allred over the incident, with the reporter claiming Pulev also groped her after the kiss.
Kubrat Pulev has been heavily criticised on social media after kissing a female reporter
The reporter looked uncomfortable while questioning the 37-year-old Bulgarian after the fight
Gender issues in sports media have been a major topic this week after Houston Astros assistant general manager Brandon Taubman was accused of taunting three female reporters after the team won the American League pennant Saturday night by vociferously a player who had recently served a 75-game suspension for domestic violence.
According to a story by Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein, Taubman turned to three females, one of whom was wearing a purple bracelet for domestic violence awareness, and shouted: ‘Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f***ing glad we got Osuna!’
Taubman repeated himself about a half dozen times, according to the report. Apstein wrote that ‘the outburst was frightening and offensive enough that another Houston staffer apologized.’
On Tuesday Major League Baseball announced it would investigate the accusations.
After first declining to comment on SI’s story, the Astros responded after it was published Monday night, describing the reporting as ‘misleading and completely irresponsible.’
Taubman has since apologized, but maintains his words were misinterpreted.
However, several other reporters who were in the clubhouse at the time said the original report is accurate.
According to a story by Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein (left), Houston Astros assistant general manager Brandon Taubman (right) turned to three females in the clubhouse after clinching the pennant, shouting: ‘Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f***ing glad we got Osuna!’
Roberto Osuna allegedly assaulted the mother of his son in May of 2018. The woman returned to her native Mexico shortly after and charges were never filed by Toronto prosecutors against Osuna, who was a member of the Blue Jays at the time. After serving his 75-game suspension, Osuna was traded to Houston in July of 2018 and subsequently led the American League with 38 saves and an impressive 2.62 earned-run average in 2019. Apstein detailed the domestic abuse allegations after covering Game 6 of the AL Championship Series and heading to the raucous Houston locker room afterward
‘The Astros called this [Sports Illustrated] report misleading,’ tweeted Hunter Atkins, a reporter with the Houston Chronicle. ‘It is not. I was there. Saw it. And I should’ve said something sooner.’
‘Can confirm,’ tweeted Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports.
As NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik pointed out, the reporter wearing the purple bracelet for domestic violence awareness had written about the issue extensively and may have been targeted by Taubman.
‘According to three eyewitnesses interviewed by NPR, Taubman appeared to be responding to the presence of a female reporter who was wearing a purple rubber bracelet to heighten awareness about domestic violence,’ Folkenflik wrote on NPR’s website.
‘That reporter has tweeted repeatedly about the issue over the years. Taubman complained last year that some of the reporter’s informational tweets — promoting domestic violence hotline telephone numbers, for example — appeared moments after Osuna entered several Astros games in relief.’
After first declining to comment on SI’s story, the Astros responded after it was published Monday night, describing the reporting as ‘misleading and completely irresponsible’
The Astros did not make Taubman available for an interview for the Sports Illustrated story. The team was given a chance to comment before the story was published, but responded only afterward, claiming the story was the magazine’s ‘attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist.’
Taubman released a statement on Tuesday: ‘This past Saturday, during our clubhouse celebration, I used inappropriate language for which I am deeply sorry and embarrassed. My over-exuberance in support of a player has been misinterpreted as a demonstration of a regressive attitude about an important social issue.
‘Those that know me know that I am a progressive and charitable member of the community, and a loving a committed husband and father. I hope that those who do not know me understand that the Sports Illustrated article does not reflect who I am or my values. I am sorry of anyone was offended by my actions.’
Team owner Jim Crane also issued a statement: ‘The Astros continue to be committed to using our voice to create awareness and support on the issue of domestic violence. We not only ensure mandatory training annually for all of our employees, we have also created an important partnership with the Texas Council on Family Violence, and have raised over $300K through our initiatives to help various agencies providing important support for this cause. We fully support MLB and baseball’s stance and values regarding domestic violence.’
Osuna allegedly assaulted the mother of his son in May of 2018. The woman returned to her native Mexico shortly after and charges were never filed by Toronto prosecutors against Osuna, who was a member of the Blue Jays at the time. After serving his 75-game suspension, Osuna was traded to Houston in July of 2018 and subsequently led the American League with 38 saves and an impressive 2.62 earned-run average this season.
Several other reporters who were in the clubhouse at the time said the report is accurate
Apstein detailed the domestic abuse allegations after covering Game 6 of the AL Championship Series and heading to the raucous Houston locker room afterward. Minutes earlier, Osuna had given up a two-run homer in the ninth inning to blow a lead before the Astros beat the New York Yankees 6-4 on a two-run homer by Jose Altuve.
‘An Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing,’ the team said in a statement. ‘Our executive was supporting the player during a difficult time. His comments had everything to do about the game situation that just occurred and nothing else – they were also not directed toward any specific reporters. We are extremely disappointed in Sports Illustrated’s attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist.’
The Houston Chronicle cited eyewitnesses who described Taubman as holding a cigar and standing with two or three other men when he screamed toward the group of women. No interviews were taking place at the time and no players were in the vicinity, the Chronicle reported, with about eight feet separating the Astros official from the startled reporters.
Emma Span, an editor at The Athletic who previously worked at SI, vouched for Apstein’s character.
‘I worked closely with Steph Apstein at SI and I have absolutely no doubt about the accuracy of her reporting,’ Span wrote on Twitter.
The Astros are set to host the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the World Series.
Emma Span, an editor who previously worked at SI, vouched for Apstein’s character