The Houston Chronicle took swift actions when they fired veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson because of comments made on WEEI radio in Boston concerning allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Speaking to The Greg Hill Show last month, Wilson called the allegations against Watson as a “money grab” and compared settling the suits as negotiating with terrorists.
“In his case, you know, it’s kind of like you don’t, you know, you don’t negotiate with terrorists. You know, people are demanding money, they’re asking for money. The—it kept escalating, it kept going up and up and up. And you start talking about more and more funds, I’m not gonna say how much it got to. But my understanding is, you know, that there was an admission that, it was, you know, something, you know, just that this was, you know, just a money grab.”
After not tweeting anything all day, Wilson eventually took to Twitter and dropped his statement on the matter:
“I made a mistake that I fully understand and own when I did not choose my words nearly carefully enough during a discussion on a March 19 radio program regarding the sensitive, complex and controversial Deshaun Watson legal situation, in the days following the initial filing of the civil lawsuits from women against him.
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My efforts to convey perspectives on the situation clearly demonstrated an unintentional lack of sensitivity to the serious nature of these type of allegations, and I sincerely apologize for my remarks.
I didn’t maintain my own high standards that I’ve established and applied during my two decades covering many other similarly important and delicate situations in the NFL. I will proceed much more carefully going forward and learn from this moment. I am committed to outstanding journalism now and always.”
Moskovitz and Kahler reported Chronicle sports editor Reid Laymance told staffers on Friday that Wilson is no longer working for the outlet.
“This note serves as a reminder that as we report, analyze and describe those allegations, those who bring them and the person they are brought against, we must approach the story with fairness and care toward all involved. Given the frequency of content we are creating, on a growing number of print and digital channels, our editors must also be more vigilant with our oversight of coverage on all platforms. Facts are good. Analysis is OK. Opinion, speculation or baseless assertions are not. We won’t tolerate that sort of commentary,”
