Bobby Burack
Videos by OutKick
The ESPN radio affiliate in Arkansas has pulled host Derek Ruscin off the air for calling Razorback baseball player Michael Turner a “stupid ass” and “disgraced loser.”
Turner angered Ruscin after he suggested Arkansas fans were the true problem with the team this season.
“[The team] is trying to keep the circle tight and cut out a lot of the outside noise. It’s not always that easy to play here. There’s a lot of people that are fans, some are good fans, some are not good fans. And if you read Twitter after the game, it can get in your mind a little bit. So we’re just trying to keep the circle tight and keep moving forward.”
And that triggered Ruscin into a mess of words. Take a listen and read the transcription below:
Northwest Arkansas radio host Derek Ruscin called an Arkansas player a “stupid ass”, “disgrace”, “loser”, ETC. there is absolutely no room for this in Arkansas radio. You’re disgusting and deserve to never have a job on the airwaves @ESPNRuscin pic.twitter.com/YZLfzxFcnn
— Josh Teeter (@joshteeter01) May 28, 2022
“First of all, you’re not a Razorback, you’re a rental player and you’ve sucked, so thanks for nothing,” Ruscin began.
“Secondly, as a rental player, you do not get to come in here and criticize this fan base, you stupid ass. Not a chance. The question was about what’s wrong with the team, and you used the entire answer to take a swing at this fan base. You’re a disgrace, Michael Turner. You’re a disgrace! You should not get to wear that uniform again. What a loser! You know why they’re losing, because you’re a loser, and you’re the catcher. You’re in charge of this whole thing on the infield. You’re a loser and a disgrace. And you can’t get out of this program soon enough.”
ESPN Arkansas market manager Tommy Craft says Ruscin’s comments “went too far,” and thus will be off-air until further notice.
The station acts as if it won’t fire Ruscin and will bring him back after a suspension. But in this PC culture, it’s hard to survive after calling a player a “stupid ass.”
I will defend Ruscin’s use of the word “loser,” however.
Whether or not Michael Turner is a loser, we should normalize the term in media because there are a lot of subjects of conversation that are, in fact, losers.
Imagine covering media and having to find words to describe someone like Jemele Hill or Keith Olbermann. Calling a loser a “loser” should not be a fireable offense.
Now, “stupid ass” is a bit harsher, though at times still warranted.
And even if Turner is not a stupid loser, so what? ESPN affiliates allow their hosts to call people “racists” and “bigots” without proof all of the time. So by those standards, an ESPN host should be able to call a non-loser a “loser.”
We wish Derek Ruscin well, as he will probably soon have to sell furniture at a local Arkansas retailer.
Drama in Arkansas sports, no doubt.
Ruscin deserved that. These baseball guys aren’t d1 football or basketball stars who get paid and pampered at ever turn. Most college baseball players only get a partial scholarship because of the 11.7 scholarship limit placed on them, and those are not for given to everyone on the roster. So, speculation here, but this Turner kid is probably covering a large chunk of his own tuition just to get a chance to play there, only to have this professional loudmouth bark at him over absolutely nothing. Heartwarming.
Sorry, but it’s not like we’re talking about high school kids here. These college athletes are adults and just because they play for a college team instead of a professional team, that alone does not shield them from criticism. Maybe “stupid ass” was a little too far, but if someone’s gonna dish it out, they’re gonna have to take it.
Once you decide to represent a community whether it is as ball player at a college or a professional with a major league team at no point should you place blame on the community in which your Jersey represents. Then add a few who get butt hurt when some else gets called a dumb ass.
Don’t wonder why we are a bunch of self inflicted dumb asses, it is the natural progression of stupidity. Next we will have people protesting because they want to identify as a Razorback and it entitles them to not being accountable to cultural norms(I admit those are shady right now) . Only expectations of Razorback is to eat shit, sleep and breed Not a bad gig. People have not wanted to be held accountable from the dawn of time and the only difference now is when they blame everyone else and it is not working and they are forced to look in the mirror instead of seeing there reflection they swear they see a Razorback and we are the idiots who accept it. Kid was a dumbass and does not need to be defended he needs to be mentored. We can not be so soft that A guy loses money or job for defending his community(Razorback baseball) And the idiot who started it is coddled.
You can think that but it doesn’t make it correct.