Monday, January 12th, 2009...6:19 pm
Where I Use My Extensive Contacts for the Benefit of You, My Loyal Public
The folks over at Talking Points Memo dug through a report from the Inspector General and found something amusing and somewhat infuriating:
A new report by the Justice Department’s inspector general finds that a lawyer for the U.S. Marshals Service arranged for the Marshals Service to provide a private escort for the limousines of Fox’s star broadcasters, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, after two World Series games at Fenway Park in 2007.
The report also found that the lawyer, Joseph Band, had arranged for a US Marshals escort for Buck and colleague Troy Aikman, the former Cowboys star, after a January 2008 NFL playoff game in Tampa.
Since we here at R Cubed have extensive contacts among sports announcers (well, I have three, four if you count John Schuster, even more if you count Downtown Dave and company), I contacted one to ask him if he’s ever accepted any escort from the US Marshal service. Here is the reply from Brad Feldman, announcer for the New England Revolution:
No, but things were so crazy the night I announced Brazil-Venezuela there were a couple of moments when I was glad Gillette Stadium security was close at hand. Then there was the banner with my name on it the D.C. fans hung at RFK Stadium a few years ago, something that now looks like an amusing piece of the Revs-United rivalry but certainly makes you think twice when you first see something like that. While on one level it’s bit unsettling that sports announcers or networks would feel that need for that level of protection – assuming this took place – it was probably just precautionary. Then there’s a part of me who also looks forward to the day when U.S. marshalls are deemed necessary for announcers MLS Cup. Or maybe not.
I’d just like to point out that in my single season as an announcer for the Tucson Amigos, I never asked for, nor did I accept, federal protection.
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