Former Leaf Jeff O'Neill swears on the air and now a past industry member wants him suspended
PUBLICATION
Pete Fredericks
February 23, 2022 (12:59)
Former Leaf and current star at TSN, Jeff O'Neill, is celebrating his 46th birthday today and social media was flooded with well wishes from his colleagues:
While so many lauded the birthday boy, Leaf reporter turned funeral director's assistant, Howard Berger, says the O'Dog should be suspended.
This morning's op-ed from Berger appears on his website at betweentheposts.ca:
The gist of the ridiculous argument that Berger unrolls here is that O'Neill's inviting of colleague Mike Johnson to "shove that stat right up your a**" is inappropriate for the airwaves.
Now, I've been around sports long enough to know that professional athletes � past and present � are fond of sailor talk. When the boys get together, nary a sentence passes without an f�bomb or other pleasantries dotting the discussion. That's all well and good. But, on a national network governed by the Canadian Radio/Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), it is highly inappropriate to tell a colleague (or any person) to shove something up his ass. That's Internet and Satellite speak; not the sort of remark an impressionable youngster should be exposed to on a cable network that appears in millions of homes across the country. Whether or not O'Neill understands, there is a difference between Spittin' Chiclets and TSN Overdrive. When the lights go up each afternoon in the TSN studio, or from his home studio during COVID, he is no longer in a dressing room. The CRTC has mandated a level of decorum long before Jeff appeared on the scene. That decree was rolled upon when O'Neill told Johnson to shove the stat up his ass. Neither was it a remark. I suspect, that the prime Overdrive sponsor, Pinty's Food Inc., would applaud. As such, if I were TSN president Stewart Johnston, I would suspend O'Neill without pay from the TV and radio networks for one week. I'd make him watch a replay of the utter disrespect he showed toward Mike Johnson. A dose of humility never hurts.
-- Howard Berger on Jeff O'Neill's comments to Mike Johnson on Overdrive
Indeed, a dose of humility never hurts. Neither does a long look in one's mirror.
While O'Neill has ascended to the top of the ranks in popularity among on-camera NHL analysts, Berger hasn't filed a report to air since 2011 and outside of his freelance "work", he's now taken up employment working in a mortuary -- which is ironic for someone who really needs to get a life. The simple notion that Howard Berger thought this op-ed would gain any traction among the masses is proof that he should stay right where he is.
His piece reads like one written by a bitter man who's time has passed him by, who is trying to stay relevant any way that he can. Berger knows the Overdrive format. So does the audience, so do the sponsors at Pinty's, so does Stewart Johnston and so does Mike Johnson. Calling for Jeff O'Neill's suspension for his choice of these words is infantile, but Berger knows that, too.
Today is O'Neill's birthday and maybe, just maybe, Berger and his asinine article can get a few extra views by piggybacking off of those who Google search O'Neill's name today and have the misfortune of coming across the piece. Once they read it, though, they'll arrive at the same conclusion and maybe just suggest that Howard Berger, himself, sho... well, you know.
Happy birthday, O'Dog!
|
11 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Ex-Leafs Enforcer Turned Podcaster Shares Strong Opinion on Auston Matthews Situation |
|
16 hours ago | By Mike Armenti Ex-NHLer Accuses Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs of Being Dishonest with the Public |
|
Dec 24 | By Dean Chaudhry Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews Believed to Have Reached an Understanding Surrounding His Health |
|
Dec 24 | By Mike Armenti Spittin' Chiclets Co-Host Has a Special Message for Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews |
|
Dec 24 | By Ryan Smitheram Maple Leafs' Update on Chris Tanev Not Enough to Satiate Fans |
|
Dec 24 | By Ryan Smitheram Insider Reveals Power Struggle Between Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs |
|
Dec 24 | By Dean Chaudhry Legendary Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen Shares Special Moment with His Son on Live Telecast |
|
Dec 24 | By Nick Matthews TSN Analyst Preps Maple Leafs Fans on Potential Recovery Plan for Auston Matthews |
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
