We want to apologize to the ASU D1 Hockey team for the disparaging comments that were made about the team during the first intermission of Thursday night’s game. First and foremost, it was unprofessional of our talent to be openly criticizing the team, regardless of whether or not they thought the mic was off. We have spoken to all members involved in the incident, and they are all sincerely sorry for the mistake, and recognize that they have to learn from it.
There is no excuse for them saying what they said. It was a mistake on their part, and we can promise you that we will work our hardest so it never happens again. It is not fair for the team to have to take any flak whatsoever on this incident, and for that we apologize.
As for the practical fix, we have verified that the mistake was a result of microphones that were left on during the break, picking up a conversation between two of our broadcasters as well as a reporter from another publication. The conversation included heavy criticism of the hockey team after the first period. It was an act of unprofessionalism on both the part of our tech for failing to cut the audio from the microphones as well as our talent, who should always regard any microphone nearby as a microphone that is on.
Our relationship with the hockey team is one that we do not want to put in jeopardy. They have been understanding and accommodating ever since we began broadcasting their games, and it is always our goal to reciprocate that. To any fans, parents, players or coaches that we offended: we are sorry.
We can assure you that this won’t happen again.
Sincerely,
Mauricio Casillas — President of The Walter Cronkite Sports Network
