According to some news and sports websites, ESPN anchorwoman Dana Jacobson graphically attacked Jesus Christ at a recent roast of her colleagues; she was reportedly intoxicated. At the January 11 event, Jacobson roared from the podium, "F*** Notre Dame," "F*** Touchdown Jesus," and finally "F*** Jesus."
Commenting on this, Catholic League president Bill Donohue said on Tuesday:
"When pressed on this issue, ESPN's response is to e-mail a statement by Jacobson, which includes the following: ‘My remarks about Notre Dame were foolish and insensitive. I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words.'
"This response fails on several counts. First, there is no evidence that ESPN is taking this matter seriously. Are we to believe that her hate speech is of no consequence? Her comments were not made at a private function, rather they were made at a public event where she represented ESPN. Second, it is worth recalling that it was during a luncheon interview that Jimmy ‘The Greek' Snyder made his racist remarks about blacks, and CBS Sports promptly fired him anyway. Third, it is also important to note that being drunk didn't help Mel Gibson's case when he made bigoted remarks about Jews.
"Then there is the matter of Jacobson's so-called apology. By far the most offensive thing she said, ‘F*** Jesus,' isn't even addressed! It is obvious, then, that neither Jacobson nor ESPN is dealing with this matter in a professional way. To put this issue behind them, ESPN must deal with this issue quickly, publicly and fairly, something it has yet to do. After all, most Christians are yet unaware of this event, but once they learn of it, they are sure to demand accountability."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented yesterday (Wednesday) on the ongoing issue involving ESPN anchorwoman Dana Jacobson:
"We know that Jacobson said ‘F*** Notre Dame' at the January 11 celebrity roast for radio personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. We also know that ESPN has suspended her for a week as a result. What we don't know is whether, as reported on some websites, she also said ‘F*** Jesus' at the event. If she did, then that changes everything.
"I have a call into a top official at ESPN on this matter. He will be asked to verify what is on the video. If Jacobson did say, ‘F*** Jesus,' then the penalty in force is obviously inadequate: it is one thing to use an obscenity to rip a Catholic university, quite another to use the vilest of terms about Jesus. Our curiosity was heightened when an ESPN official whom we've already spoken to refused to confirm or deny that Jacobson said ‘F*** Jesus.' If she didn't, then all they need to do is make the video public-put it on YouTube. If she did, then it looks like we might be dealing with a cover up.
"One way or the other, we are going to get to the bottom of this. The official whom I called is traveling today, and so it would be unfair to list his name and e-mail address as the person to contact. But one person whose name I can list-he spoke to Catholic League Director of Communications Kiera McCaffrey last night-is Chris LaPlaca, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications."
Contact: chris.laplaca@espn.com
