Rogers Sportsnet reporter Roger Millions hasn’t been disciplined for uttering an obscenity on air, says a spokesman for the network.
The Calgary-based reporter swore during a pre-game report on a playoff game between the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks that made it to air on “Hockey Central” on Thursday.
The unedited clip was swiftly uploaded to YouTube, where it’s already been viewed more than 250,000 times.
Sportsnet spokesman Dave Rashford dismissed rumours that Millions had been let go in the wake of last week’s on-air gaffe.
“He has not been fired,” Rashford said, before adding:
“It’s unfortunate the comment made it to air, we apologize and are confident this will not happen again.”
Published reports over the weekend indicated that Millions had been pulled from the air for a few days following the incident, which Rashford denied.
“No, he’s on his days off,” he said.
Millions, a 49-year-old Deloraine, Man., native, has been with the network since 2001.
In the clip, Millions flubs the name of Flames defenceman Cory Sarich then curses before gathering himself for another take.
As news bloopers often do, the video has gone viral and made the rounds in U.S. sports and media blogs including the Huffington Post and Deadspin.
But most commentators were blaming Sportsnet, not Millions, for the unfortunate outtake — particularly since the segment was reportedly taped.
A former Sportsnet producer said in an interview that the “Hockey Central” production is usually chaotic, with pieces of tape still coming in as the show airs.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that while the cameraman who shot the clip could have edited out Millions’ gaffe, that’s not normal operating procedure. Usually, a cameramen sends in raw tape to Toronto for editing, and that’s likely where the mistake occurred.
A current Sportsnet producer declined to be interviewed about the incident.