Phillies broadcaster Howard Eskin banned from Citizens Bank Park after reportedly giving an 'unwelcome kiss' to an employee
Philadelphia Phillies radio broadcaster Howard Eskin has been banned from Citizens Bank Park for the remainder of the season following an "unwanted kiss" toward an Aramark employee, Audacy said in a statement.
Audacy is a parent company, and Eskin is a host for their sports radio station, WIP-FM.
“We learned of an unwelcome kiss by Howard Eskin towards an Aramark employee at Citizens Bank Park. We take these matters very seriously. We immediately investigated and took action to address the matter," Audacy said in a statement.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the incident happened at the CP Rankin Club, a seating area behind home plate, in May. Aramark, who is investigating the matter alongside Phillies and Audacy, confirmed that an employee "had been subjected to an unwanted advance by an Audacy employee."
"We then worked with Audacy and the Phillies to ensure that appropriate steps were taken to protect our employee and all of the Aramark employees at Citizens Bank Park," Aramark said.
According to NBC, Eskin will still perform his duties and will be on air for his morning slot on Saturday. Eskin is yet to put out a statement following the concerning reports.
Phillies supports decision by Audacy to suspend Howard Eskin for remainder of season
The Philadelphia Phillies also came forward with a statement following reports concerning Howard Eskin.
“The Phillies take these allegations very seriously. We cooperated with our partners at Audacy and Aramark on their investigations. We support Audacy’s decision to suspend Howard Eskin from Citizens Bank Park," the Phillies said in a statement.
Eskin has been a regular for Philadelphia, doing broadcasting on both radio and TV and has been part of WIP-FM and WCAU since 1986. However, he has also got into arguments with Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens and Curt Schilling.
Charlie Manuel, the former Phillies manager, was so up with his remarks that he challenged Eskin to a fight during a press conference in the 2007 season.