Boston Celtics broadcasters are drawing heavy criticism for their Jaylen Brown comments. Both hosts on 98.5 The Sports Hub and Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic have slammed the remarks.
What We Know: The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz and Zolak & Bertrand say Celtics broadcasters keep working digs at Brown into their calls since the 76ers acquired him this summer. Brian Scalabrine, the lead television analyst for Celtics games on NBC Sports Boston, first reported that Brown demanded a trade, then walked it back. Meanwhile, Sean Grande, the Celtics radio play-by-play announcer, said a leader doesn’t need a PR team after Jayson Tatum’s buzzer-beater against the Nets. Following the comments, hosts on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia called Scalabrine “effectively a PR wing for this organization.” Boston hosts also argue nobody mentioned those turnovers while Brown wore a Celtics jersey. Therefore, they see a double standard. Brown denied demanding a trade or issuing ultimatums Wednesday night, calling the allegations false.
What They Said: “It’s the team. The team because Sean Grande works for the team. He doesn’t speak for himself. He doesn’t have a thought of his own. He’s just there to parrot and trumpet the team.”-Mike Felger
I’m going to tell you, scal does himself a disservice when he does that crap last night, because when he does that, well, then I know where all your crap is coming from In recent days, you’re just getting it spoon fed to you by the Boston Celtics. That’s it. You are team Celtics, team broadcaster.– Marc Bertrand
“If you are a Boston Celtic, there is no better person to have on your PR team than Brian Scalabrine because he is effectively a PR wing for this organization.”- Ray Dunne
What Remains Unclear: Neither the Celtics nor the broadcasters have responded publicly to the backlash, and it’s unclear whether they will. Whether or not this debate will turn into something longer and more impactful is yet to be seen.
What It Means: The backlash shows the role radio hosts can play in holding team-employed broadcasters to a consistent standard. Hosts argue nobody raised Brown’s turnovers while he wore a Celtics jersey. Moreover, they say that makes the criticism look selective. Furthermore, the dispute underscores how quickly perceived bias can damage a broadcaster’s credibility. Finally, it may raise questions about whether players receive fair criticism regardless of which team they represent.
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