ESPN Radio Host Fired For "Death" Tweet

NewsBreakerOct 25 '12

Host @DavidBegnaud delivers breaking news and today's trending buzz in 45 seconds.  Mashable.com Sports talk host Scott Torgerson is gone from Columbus, Ohio, ESPN radio affiliate 97.1 The Fan two weeks after tweeting a death wish about former University of Michigan star and current college football analyst Desmond Howard. Torgerson tweeted on Oct. 13, “I wish Desmond Howard would get fired or die so I can watch Gameday again,” before later deleting his @myguythetorg Twitter account. He was suspended indefinitely by The Fan until the station posted this message Wednesday morning: Scott Torgerson is no longer employed by our company as of today. We appreciate his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors. Torgerson’s “get-fired-or-die” tweet caused a major media stir earlier this month, and Howard’s wife took him to task for it on Twitter. Howard is an analyst for the ESPN television show College Gameday. Kirk Herbstreit, Howard’s co-worker on the show, used his own radio program to light into Torgerson a few days after the tweet was posted. Death threats and death wishes on Twitter have become an increasingly common (or at least increasingly noticed) occurrence in the sports world. Well-known Fox Sports personality Erin Andrews was targeted by a strange troll who threatened to ‘chop her up’ earlier this week, and NFL wide receiver Joshua Morgan told reporters that Twitter users had sent him threats as well last month. While Torgerson’s tweet appeared to be a joke — albeit a tasteless one — whether or not he would ultimately be dismissed for it was a topic of speculation among sports media watchers. Until Wednesday, that is. Do you think Torgerson should have lost his job for that tweet, or simply served a suspension? Give us your take in the comments. "I was thinking of tying her body onto some kind of apparatus&cook her over a low heat, keep her alive as long as possible." "I love that she is asleep right now not having the slightest clue of what we have planned. Her days are numbered. I'm glad you're on board. She does look tasty doesn't she?"