ESPN Radio Benches Arkansas Host For Calling Player a 'Stupid Ass'

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.

" 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:

"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.