ESPN: Five Women "Concerned" About Reynolds

FEBRUARY 16--Defending itself from a lawsuit filed by former announcer Harold Reynolds, ESPN contends that 'five young women' have raised concerns about 'sexual misconduct' by the former Major League star. The cable network's reference to the quintet came in a motion for a protective order filed Tuesday in Connecticut Superior Court, where Reynolds, 46, last October filed a breach of contract complaint. ESPN is seeking the protective order in advance of providing Reynolds with his personnel file and other discovery material. Those records, ESPN noted in its motion, 'should be protected against unrestricted use and dissemination, including documents and information related to concerns raised by five young women about Plaintiff's sexual misconduct.' A copy of the motion, which can be found below, does not further describe the 'concerns' or identify the women involved. A spokesman for Reynolds said ESPN's reference to the five women in its court filing was an attempt by the network to use 'their bully pulpit to smear the character' of the sportscaster. Reynolds claims that he was improperly canned after giving an 'innocuous hug' to a female intern. He was terminated four months after a signing a six-year contract worth about $5 million. (3 pages)