Britt McHenry returns to work at ESPN despite ongoing fury from public

ESPN reporter Britt McHenry was suspended for one week last Thursday after a video surfaced online which featured her berating a towing-company employee, but reports claim that she will have a spot on SportsCenter this weekend despite the latest controversy. The iconic sports network understands that McHenry has become a pariah in the public eye, but Sports Illustrated reported Thursday that ESPN has faith that the 28-year-old will “win back some of the trust of our viewers.”

McHenry first received public backlash when edited video footage showed her telling a towing-company worker, “I’m on television and you’re in a f–g trailer, honey” was posted online last week. ESPN fans immediately called for her suspension, complaining that they didn’t want to hear reporting from someone who seems so petty and entitled, and the network answered with a one-week suspension. While anger towards McHenry has not yet fully died down, ESPN is still allowing her to work on SportsCenter this weekend, and be on-camera for the network’s coverage of the opening round of the NFL draft next Thursday.

“I think she is just really anxious to get back to work,” ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman told Sports Illustrated. “We had a conversation where we both talked about that it would take time and it will be hard. She realizes she will have to do her job really well and hopefully win back some of the trust of our viewers. We expect that from her, and I expect that from her.”

Markman added that the network’s leniency is due in part to the great job McHenry did in a number of difficult situations during her NFL coverage last year. He acknowledges that the decision to put her in front of the camera so quickly won’t be popular, but thinks McHenry is ready for the challenge and will be able to “rebound” perfectly fine.

“Listen, it wouldn’t shock me if some people react negatively,” said Markman. “My head hasn’t been buried in the sand. I’ve read a lot on this, and more than anything, she knows she made a mistake.”

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