Former television sports analyst Sean Salisbury has finally confessed that he showed cellphone photos of his penis to his ESPN co-workers.
For years, rumors have circulated on the Internet that Salisbury, a 12-year ESPN veteran and a former NFL quarterback, had displayed the X-rated images at a bar in 2006 in Bristol, Conn., prompting a brief suspension from the network. Salisbury’s contract with ESPN expired in 2008 and was not renewed, with many speculating that the incident was to blame.
Salisbury had previously claimed to sports blog Deadspin that the story was a “bald-faced lie” — but now he’s changed his tune.
Asked by Page Six whether he really had shown the photos in the bar, he said: “It was a really sophomoric mistake, and I’m truly sorry it happened. My father was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. He passed away in 2007. The two things have caused me a lot of inner anger. But I just got tired of having this weigh me down.”
Salisbury continued, “In 10 minutes, I hurt myself, my kids and my career. Not a day in my life goes by that I don’t regret it. The stupidity of it has just been eating me alive. ESPN was right to let me go. I don’t blame them. They gave me my start, and it was the greatest time of my life. I can’t bring my dad back, but I can try to bring my career back.”
He maintains the incident was nothing more than a harmless joke. “It was not malicious, at all,” he said. “It was done in a bar, in a joking manner. I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I hope I’ve been forgiven.”
He’s less forgiving toward Deadspin and is suing the sports blog for defamation.
Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio told us: “Obviously, we’re not surprised by this admission. But we wish him all the best in his planned comeback, and our door is always open to him if he wants to give us an interview about his plans.”