Harold Reynolds: I'm No "Pimp Daddy"

MARCH 2--In a new legal filing that disputes an ESPN claim that he engaged in five instances of sexual misconduct, fired announcer Harold Reynolds recalls a prior incident in which a female employee complained that he was trying to be her 'pimp daddy.' The former Major League star points to the episode from 2000 as an example of how a courtesy he extended was apparently misconstrued by the co-worker. In court papers filed today in Connecticut Superior Court, Reynolds's lawyer contends that the broadcaster 'knows for certain that he was not accused of five acts of 'sexual misconduct' as of March 2006,' when he signed a new six-year contract. Claiming that 'no events' in his work history can be characterized as sexual misconduct, Reynolds, 46, refers to the 'pimp daddy' incident, which apparently occurred in the network's Bristol, Connecticut cafeteria. As Reynolds tells it, the woman lodged her complaint because he offered to buy lunch for her and other employees. This was a courtesy, the court filing notes, 'extended by the last person in line, especially when the last person was Mr. Reynolds.' While the comment 'may evidence racial stereotyping or bias on the part of the supposed complainant,' wrote lawyer Joseph Garrison, 'it is most certainly not 'sexual misconduct'' on Reynolds's part. 'Most people, instead, would consider an offer to buy lunch as a kind or generous gesture.' An excerpt from the Reynolds court filing can be found below. Reynolds was fired last July for reportedly harassing a female ESPN worker. In a breach of contract lawsuit, Reynolds claims that he was improperly canned for giving an 'innocuous hug' to a female intern who 'never expressed any discomfort' with his behavior. In a court filing last month, ESPN alleged that 'five young women' have raised concerns about 'sexual misconduct' by the announcer. But the network did not detail when those concerns surfaced. Reynolds was terminated four months after signing a contract valued at nearly $5 million. (2 pages)