Jay Mariotti
Encyclopedia
Jay Mariotti is a former national columnist for Fanhouse.com
and has done work as a panelist on the ESPN
show Around the Horn
.
and attended Ohio University
. He has appeared as a panelist on Around the Horn and has guest hosted Pardon the Interruption
. Prior to his work with ESPN, he co-hosted a daily sports
talk radio
program on One on One Sports/Sporting News Radio
.
Mariotti is a long time sports columnist, starting with The Detroit News
in the early 1980s. He moved to The Denver Post
in the late 1980s, where he met Woody Paige
, a fellow regular panelist on Around the Horn. Mariotti and Paige were said to have been in a long-running feud during their time together in Denver, which eventually resulted in Mariotti leaving the Post for the paper's then rival, the Rocky Mountain News
; the rivalry was something that was mentioned at times in the early episodes of Around the Horn. Both have stated that the feud is over and the rivalry between them is now a friendly one. Mariotti left Denver and joined the Chicago Sun-Times
in 1991, staying with the paper until 2008.
Mariotti made his writing debut for AOL Sports (now FanHouse) on January 5, 2009 where he shared his views about sports and sports personalities. In 2010, he left Chicago and relocated to Los Angeles, where he's currently based.
in Beijing
that he saw more writers for websites covering the Games and a smaller presence of newspapers, giving him the opinion that writing for a website was "what the future holds." Mariotti's criticism of the newspaper industry and his resignation from the newspaper prompted a public rebuttal from fellow Sun-Times employee and movie critic Roger Ebert
, who defended the newspaper business and criticized Mariotti's penchant for writing sensationalist columns during his time there.
broadcaster Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson
called Mariotti "the biggest sports fraud", adding that he had never seen him in the White Sox clubhouse. Trading barbs through the media, the two were eventually involved in a physical altercation in July 2004 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
. Mariotti suffered a broken nose after the incident. Afterward on his radio show, Mariotti threatened to "pinch Hawk's beak off".
In June 2006, Ozzie Guillén
, the manager of the Chicago White Sox, publicly apologized for calling Mariotti a "fag." However, he did not apologize to Mariotti, only for the slur.
to a misdemeanor battery count and has been sentenced to 3 years probation and community service. ESPN has chosen not to use Mariotti on air since his arrest and indicated it had no plans to do so.
On May 11, 2011, Mariotti pleaded not guilty to three felonies—stalking, domestic violence and assault—after he confronted his ex-girlfriend the same day a court ordered him to stay away from her, according to prosecutors. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order. In addition to confronting his ex-girlfriend at a restaurant Sept. 30—the day he pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence—prosecutors said he argued with his former girlfriend again outside of a Venice restaurant April 15. He allegedly pulled a chunk of her hair-extensions out and grabbed her cellphone, while shouting at her, prosecutors said.
On September 13, 2011, Mariotti pleaded no contest to stalking and assaulting his ex-girlfriend. With the plea deal, Mariotti must undergo a year of counseling and 90 days of community service. He was sentenced to five years probation but is eligible to have that time reduced beginning three years from now.
FanHouse
FanHouse is a sports website owned by AOL. Launched in September 2006, FanHouse is considered the Internet's most linked sports blog by aggregator BallHype, won Editor & Publisher's 2008 EPpy Award for "Best Sports Blog", and was named as a finalist for the award in 2009.In January 2009, FanHouse...
and has done work as a panelist on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
show Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
.
Life and career
Mariotti was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and attended Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
. He has appeared as a panelist on Around the Horn and has guest hosted Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
. Prior to his work with ESPN, he co-hosted a daily sports
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
program on One on One Sports/Sporting News Radio
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
.
Mariotti is a long time sports columnist, starting with The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
in the early 1980s. He moved to The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
in the late 1980s, where he met Woody Paige
Woody Paige
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Paige, Jr. is a sports columnist for The Denver Post, author, and a regular panelist on the ESPN sports-talk program Around the Horn. He was also a co-host of Cold Pizza and its spin-off show 1st and 10 until Nov. 4, 2006, when it was announced that Paige would return to the...
, a fellow regular panelist on Around the Horn. Mariotti and Paige were said to have been in a long-running feud during their time together in Denver, which eventually resulted in Mariotti leaving the Post for the paper's then rival, the Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
; the rivalry was something that was mentioned at times in the early episodes of Around the Horn. Both have stated that the feud is over and the rivalry between them is now a friendly one. Mariotti left Denver and joined the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
in 1991, staying with the paper until 2008.
Mariotti made his writing debut for AOL Sports (now FanHouse) on January 5, 2009 where he shared his views about sports and sports personalities. In 2010, he left Chicago and relocated to Los Angeles, where he's currently based.
Sun-Times resignation
On August 26, 2008, Mariotti announced that he was resigning from the Chicago Sun-Times after writing for them for 17 years. He stated his choice was heavily weighted on the fact that while covering the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
that he saw more writers for websites covering the Games and a smaller presence of newspapers, giving him the opinion that writing for a website was "what the future holds." Mariotti's criticism of the newspaper industry and his resignation from the newspaper prompted a public rebuttal from fellow Sun-Times employee and movie critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who defended the newspaper business and criticized Mariotti's penchant for writing sensationalist columns during his time there.
Controversy
At Soxfest in early 2004, Chicago White SoxChicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
broadcaster Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson
Ken Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson , nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball...
called Mariotti "the biggest sports fraud", adding that he had never seen him in the White Sox clubhouse. Trading barbs through the media, the two were eventually involved in a physical altercation in July 2004 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
. Mariotti suffered a broken nose after the incident. Afterward on his radio show, Mariotti threatened to "pinch Hawk's beak off".
In June 2006, Ozzie Guillén
Ozzie Guillén
Oswaldo José "Ozzie" Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan-American former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Miami Marlins. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2011 before asking for his release at the end of the 2011 season....
, the manager of the Chicago White Sox, publicly apologized for calling Mariotti a "fag." However, he did not apologize to Mariotti, only for the slur.
Arrest
On August 21, 2010, Mariotti was arrested in Los Angeles and booked on suspicion of a felony after a domestic altercation with his girlfriend. AOL suspended Mariotti on August 26. On September 13, Los Angeles city prosecutors charged Mariotti with seven misdemeanors in connection with the domestic disturbance. Mariotti's attorney called the allegations "inaccurate and sensationalized." She went on to say, "We are confident that the facts will show the complainant was extremely intoxicated that night and abusive toward Mr. Mariotti." On September 30, Marriotti pleaded no contestNo contest
No contest may refer to:*Nolo contendere, a plea in a criminal court case *No contest , a decision at a sporting event *No Contest a film starring Shannon Tweed...
to a misdemeanor battery count and has been sentenced to 3 years probation and community service. ESPN has chosen not to use Mariotti on air since his arrest and indicated it had no plans to do so.
On May 11, 2011, Mariotti pleaded not guilty to three felonies—stalking, domestic violence and assault—after he confronted his ex-girlfriend the same day a court ordered him to stay away from her, according to prosecutors. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order. In addition to confronting his ex-girlfriend at a restaurant Sept. 30—the day he pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence—prosecutors said he argued with his former girlfriend again outside of a Venice restaurant April 15. He allegedly pulled a chunk of her hair-extensions out and grabbed her cellphone, while shouting at her, prosecutors said.
On September 13, 2011, Mariotti pleaded no contest to stalking and assaulting his ex-girlfriend. With the plea deal, Mariotti must undergo a year of counseling and 90 days of community service. He was sentenced to five years probation but is eligible to have that time reduced beginning three years from now.