An NFL reporter for the Houston Chronicle has been fired after allegedly comparing the women accusing Houston Texans player Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct to terrorists.
During a radio appearance on March 19, reporter Aaron Wilson was asked about the accusations by at least 21 women that Watson sexually abused them. Wilson characterized the women’s lawsuits as “a money grab,” according to Defector.com.
“In his case, you know, it’s kind of you don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Wilson said on the Greg Hill Show.
“People are demanding money. They’re asking for money. In his case, you know, it’s kind of you don’t negotiate with terrorists. People are demanding money. They’re asking for money,” Wilson continued. “It kept escalating, it kept going up and up and up. You’re talking about more and more funds, I’m not going to say how much it got to, but my understanding is, you know, that there was an admission that, it was, you know, something, you know just that this was, you know, just a money grab.”
According to the Defector, the paper said that Wilson is no longer working for them, but they did not tell the site why they cut ties with the writer.
An email reporting the writer’s release also reminded Chronicle staffers that they should obtain permission from editors and executives. The email also warned about offering opinions.
“Facts are good. Analysis is OK. Opinion, speculation or baseless assertions are not. We won’t tolerate that sort of commentary,” the Chronicle’s executive editor, Steve Riley, wrote in the email.
For his part, Wilson apologized for his choice of words on the radio show.
Per the New York Post:
I made a mistake that I fully understand and own when I did not choose my words nearly carefully enough during a discussion on a March 19 radio program regarding the sensitive, complex and controversial Deshaun Watson legal situation, in the days following the initial filing of the civil lawsuits from women against him,” Wilson wrote. “My efforts to convey perspectives on the situation clearly demonstrated an unintentional lack of sensitivity to the serious nature of these type of allegations, and I sincerely apologize for my remarks. I didn’t maintain my own high standards that I’ve established and applied during my two decades covering many other similarly important and delicate situations in the NFL. I will proceed much more carefully going forward and learn from this moment. I am committed to outstanding journalism now and always.
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