Statement And Apology From Mike Bell About Jessica Mendoza Tweet

As some of you may have heard, I said something really stupid on Twitter last night directed at Jessica Mendoza, the analyst on last nights ESPN Wild Card broadcast. What I said was hurtful and I want to take this opportunity to say to Jessica that what I said was dumb and hurtful and I apologize for putting that garbage on Twitter. I have reached out to ESPN so I can have the opportunity to speak with her and hopefully apologize to her in person.

As someone who knows how hard it is to get a career in sports broadcasting started, I know what I said was totally insensitive and demeaning to Jessica and to all the women working in this industry, including the many women I work with here at CBS Radio Atlanta, who I also owe a big apology to.

The last thing I wanted to do was create drama for my coworkers who, unfortunately, get tainted because of my stupid remarks, and have to answer questions about what I said. I especially want to apologize to my partner Carl Dukes, who now has to deal with the fallout of my screw up.

I also want to express my apologies to our advertisers and sponsors, and to our sports team partners. They have all made a commitment to this radio station and I let them all down big-time.

Moving forward, I can honestly tell you that I fully understand how hurtful the things I say on-air and social media can be. There is no place for that kind of stuff on our show. I will be more mindful and respectful in how I express my opinions and hope I become a better talk show host, but more importantly a better person.

This has been a real eye-opening experience and I hope I can put the lesson learned from it to good use.