ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann will not anchor his show for the rest of the week after a series of tweets directed at Penn State students.
Olbermann, who was most recently critical of Penn State on his ESPN show in January after Joe Paterno's vacated wins were restored, was told on Twitter by a user about the $13 million raised by Penn State students for pediatric cancer. He responded to the tweet with a response of "pitiful."
"We are aware of the exchange Keith Olbermann had on Twitter last night regarding Penn State. It was completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN," the network said in a statement. "We have discussed it with Keith, who recognizes he was wrong. ESPN and Keith have agreed that he will not host his show for the remainder of this week and will return on Monday. The annual tradition of THON and the efforts of the students of Penn State to fight pediatric cancer should be applauded."
Olbermann said his use of the word "pitiful" was toward Penn State students and not toward the fundraising efforts. The efforts culminate with the Penn State Dance Marathon, known as THON, and students stand and dance for 46 hours straight. Thousands of students participate in the fundraising and over 700 students danced in the marathon. The efforts have raised over $114 million since 1977.
.@dave_seidel No, Son. I said PSU students were pitiful. Had nothing to do with fundraising #AlsoPSUReadingComprehensionAppearsToBeWeak
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2015 However, that was not the only tweet.
.@ColinBenner Good for you. Doesn't change the school's reputation. Check back next century.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 24, 2015
I'd like to thank the students and alums of Penn State for proving my point about the mediocrity of their education and ethics.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 24, 2015
More PSU. You can't be "still hired," Goober RT @arjunarun1 Why is @KeithOlbermann still hired by ESPN? Shameful.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 24, 2015 Picking a childish fight via a pediatric cancer fundraiser is inexplicable. It's an act that Olbermann would likely take to task if it was done by someone else, especially someone he disagreed with.
Olbermann apologized Tuesday afternoon. We'll see if he apologizes again on his show next week.
I apologize for the PSU tweets. I was stupid and childish and way less mature than the students there who did such a great fundraising job.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 24, 2015 - - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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