Daily Talker: Sleeping Yankee Fan Sues ESPN For "Mental Anguish"
A Yankees fan is suing two ESPN announcers for $10 million, saying they mocked him when he was caught on national television sleeping in his seat during a game at Yankee Stadium.
Andrew Robert Rector admits in court documents he "napped" during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an "avalanche of disparaging words" against him. The suit says they used words like "fatty" and "stupid."
Rector says he suffered "substantial injury" to his "character and reputation" and "mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity."
In part of the exchange posted on MLB.COM, play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman said, "Did he sleep through the Beltran homer? I mean, 45,000 people stand up and cheer and he sleeps through it?"
Color commentator John Kruk responded with, "You'd think it'd be tough to, but he seemed comfortable. It didn't look like he just started to sleep."
The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court also names ESPN, Major League Baseball and the Yankees as defendants. They didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Do you think this fan has a case against ESPN? Or were the announcers just having some good-natured fun? Share your comments below, and watch for them on WBZ News in the Morning from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.