A member of the Philadelphia Flyers social media team is in hot water after a hot mic caught them trashing a reporter for a question she asked during a live interview.
On Tuesday, recently-signed winger Garnet Hathaway fielded questions about his role on the team heading into the 2023-24 season. That’s when Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer asked the 31-year-old what attracted him to a team in the middle of a rebuild.
“I was just wondering as a veteran with a relatively successful NHL career,” Han said, “what makes the Flyers — who are in a rebuild state — a destination that was desirable to you?”
Before she even finished the question, however, a team staffer expressed frustration with the question.
“How many times is she gonna ask this fucking question?” the staffer said.
Just a few seconds later, someone else could be heard saying, “Flyers suck.”
Someone from the Philadelphia Flyers organization is getting fired 😬 pic.twitter.com/gSCy6SodpC
— LIGHTS OUT HOCKEY (@Lightsouthky) July 11, 2023
Flyers President Keith Jones released a statement apologizing for the incident later that evening.
“Earlier today, our team’s social media account streamed a recording of a virtual press conference which included disrespectful remarks by members of our social media staff,” Jones said. “On behalf of the entire Flyers organization, I want to extend our apologies. Any disrespect toward reporters is completely unacceptable, especially when they are simply doing their job. We have reached out to the reporter and the outlet personally to express our regret, and will continue to promote an environment of mutual respect when working with media.”
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