What to do about Howard Eskin?

OMG! Am I actually going to defend Howard Eskin?

Actually, no. But I am not going to convict him either — not yet.

The bombastic, extroverted veteran broadcaster stands accused of attempting to kiss an Aramark employee, against her wishes.

Here is the key paragraph in an Inquirer story:  

“The incident happened hours before a game in the CP Rankin Club, an exclusive seating area behind home plate formerly known as the Diamond Club, according to sources, who were not willing to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. Eskin allegedly tried to kiss the woman as she backed away.”

“Tried.” Later versions of the story allege that Eskin actually kissed the woman. Had the facts changed, or was this just lazy reporting, or a willful distortion?

So, my first question is this: Was it an attempt to kiss, or did he make physical contact? It makes a difference.

My second question is this: If he made the attempt, was it sexual in nature, or was it avuncular? (I have not seen reporting on the employee’s age. Eskin is 73.) 

More questions: Was he trying to kiss her on the lips, or on the cheek?

Was he attempting to kiss her at all?

Was it more Mario Cuomo or Joe Biden or Donald J. Trump?

I am not defending Eskin. I am seeking information before judgment. I left a voicemail message asking him to tell me his side.

I have known and reported on Eskin for decades, and we have been frenemies.

I often commented on his brusque on-air style as a radio host, often abusing callers who disagreed with the self-styled “king,” (a royal title bestowed on him by Pete Rose). He was a jerk, but it was show business and it worked for him. His ratings were great. He was a star, one could say legend.

I was put off by his mink coats,  I once asked him how many Rolex watches he needed, I criticized him for being too cozy with some athletes he covered, and even getting autographs from athletes, which is a no-no for journalists, who are not supposed to use their position for personal gain.

He can be a royal asshole.

I had developed a short-hand description of him, which actually hurt.

I know that it hurt because he called me and asked me to stop using it, because it did hurt.

I can be an asshole too, but I wanted to embarrass him, not hurt him.

So I stopped using it.

But, now, for illustrative purposes, I will drag it out of the closet.

That short-hand term was “multi-media celebrity jock sniffer.”

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As a  kid straight outta Northeast High School, he has done enormously well. 

I called him “multi-media,” because he worked for several TV stations and was one of the original hosts when WIP went all sports in 1986. 

He soon became king of afternoon drive. The Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes, described him as “the undisputed champion of sports talk radio.”

How did Eskin get there? His work ethic.

Eskin was everywhere.

In the parlance of journalism, he flew the flag at press conferences, workouts, games. There were few events he didn’t cover. Yes, he could be an arrogant jerk — like when he had to apologize for claiming the Miss America pageant was rigged — but he was there. He put in the time. He developed and worked his sources. 

He even wrote a column for the Daily News for a while, which I said provided full-time work for three copy editors and two libel lawyers.

He’s done more than 8,000 shows, reportedly more than any other American sportscaster.

In between sports talk, he championed liberal causes, such as smoking bans, and medical tort reform. 

He helped raise $400,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation, and helped organize fund-raisers. He raised more than $100,000 for animal shelters after Hurricane Katrina.

The Broadcast Pioneers inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2011.

As far as romantic episodes, he stepped on a land mine in 1997, when he was revealed to be the “prominent Philadelphia sportscaster” who sent a dozen roses to a woman whose husband killed her five days later.

A warm note came with the roses.

Eskin said later he had never met the woman and the roses were just an attempt to brighten a lonely woman’s life.

I learned from Eskin’s florist that he regularly made such gestures.

Was he just a caring guy, or a guy on the make? I don’t know.

This case reminds me of the 2022 incident when the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation kissed a star player on the lips during the team’s trophy ceremony after winning the Women’s World Cup. Head coach Jorge Vilda was later fired for making light of the kiss, calling the outrage “real nonsense.”

Was the kiss exuberance, or sexual assault? I don’t know. 

The president, Luis Rubiales, was banned for three years and faced charges of sexual assault.

So what is the proper punishment for Eskin, who has already been banned (by his employer, Audacy), from Citizens Bank Park, and by the Sixers from its training facilities?

Ban him from all sports venues?

Charge him criminally?

I don’t know, and I would like to hear from the defendant before passing judgment.