Doug Adler sues ESPN over Australian Open sacking
Retired tennis player turned broadcaster Doug Adler is suing ESPN for wrongful termination after he was fired over a remark he made about Venus Williams during the Australian Open.
The former player claimed he suffered 'emotional distress' in a court filing in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging he was wrongly branded a racist and has lost other TV opportunities because of the controversy.
His lawsuit calls for punitive financial damages, but doesn't name an amount.
The 59-year-old was commentating for the network during Williams' second round match against Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele at the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 18 when he described the American's aggressive tactics.
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Retired tennis player turned broadcaster Doug Adler (pictured) is suing ESPN for wrongful termination after he was fired over a remark he made about Venus Williams during the Australian Open
'She misses a first serve and Venus is all over her,' Adler said. 'You see Venus move in and put the guerrilla effect on. Charging.'
He has maintained he meant Williams was using 'guerrilla' tactics, however he was accused by some of comparing the seven-time Grand Slam champion to a gorilla.
Adler apologized for his poor word choice but was let go just days later.
His lawyer, David M. Ring, gave the sports network a serve in a statement on Tuesday.
Adler was accused of comparing Williams (pictured) to a gorilla during her second round match at the Australian Open on January 18
'She misses a first serve and Venus is all over her,' Adler (left, in October 2016) said. 'You see Venus move in and put the guerrilla effect on. Charging'
'The irony is that Adler called everything correctly and in a professional manner, whereas ESPN did not – they recklessly made the wrong call,' Ring said.
'It was not only political correctness gone overboard, but also a cowardly move that ruined a good man’s career.'
The statement also included a comment from Adler, who said: 'It was shocking to be treated this way by folks who’ve known me forever... Anyone who has ever competed in sports knows exactly the meaning of the term I used. Period.'
ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Tuesday the network hadn't seen the lawsuit and had no comment.
Court papers also point out that 'Guerrilla Tennis' was the name of a Nike TV ad from the 1990s featuring Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
'Obviously, (Adler) saw that commercial many times and the phrase became widely used by those who actually understood tennis vernacular and followed the sport closely,' the lawsuit claimed.
Adler said he was talking about Williams aggressive style of play in the match - which he described as 'guerrilla' tactics
Venus Williams shakes hands after winning her Women's singles second round match against Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele
Filings then point to the use of the term by Tennis magazine senior editor Peter Bodo in a 2012 profile of Agnieszka Radwanska.
The suit comes after offended viewers called for Adler to be fired for comparing Williams, who is African-American, with a gorilla.
At the time Adler said he was speaking about Williams' tactics and strategy and 'simply and inadvertently chose the wrong word to describe her play.'
In a statement emailed in January to The Associated Press, ESPN said it had pulled Adler from broadcasts.
'During an Australian Open stream on ESPN3, Doug Adler should have been more careful in his word selection. He apologized and we have removed him from his remaining assignments,' the statement read.
Adler was an All-American player at the University of Southern California who went on to play on the pro circuit.
He was hired by ESPN in 2008 and covered tournaments including the US Open, French Open and Wimbledon
Williams declined to comment on the remark or the ensuing controversy.