An Open Letter to Danyelle Sargent

Dear Ms. Sargent,

It has come to my attention that your taped gaffe with 49ers Head Coach Mike Singeltary actually made it on to the air, thanks to WFAN's Mike Francesa. It also has come to my attention that you are upset with Mr. Francesa, and that your bosses are upset as well, because this was an 'unauthorized airing.'

My response to the whole thing is simply this. Get over it.

Firstly, if some producer failed to tell Francesa the video was not meant for air, that's on the producer, not the host. Secondly, Francesa didn't even go after you for the mistake. He has been known to do the exact opposite of what he did, which was leave you alone. By all rights, he should have gone after you. That's how bad the mistake was.

Danyelle, it's not like Bill Walsh hadn't been in the news recently. The man passed away just over a year ago. You probably reported it on your FSN Final Score show (if you remember).

The bigger shock to me was that you failed to say Mike Ditka as opposed to Bill Walsh. Singletary played against Walsh and for Ditka. Maybe you would have known that if you had either cared to do your research or were more than just a casual sports fan.

That's the problem these days with too many television anchors. They want in the business so badly, they will take jobs that aren't even their strong suit. Trust me when I say this. There's also the problem of preparation, or the lack thereof. Too many of the people we consider 'talent' would rather do things on the fly than spend the time preparing. I believe both of those factors played into the Sargent/Singletary mess.

My advice to you, Danyelle, is to own the mistake. We all make mistakes. We all mis-speak. Sometimes we even get a hold of bad information and report it as if it were the gospel. But, the difference is most of the other people who make these mistakes take responsibility for it.

Own the mistake Danyelle. I wouldn't say it if I hadn't actually done it before. I have. I know of what I speak.

Sadly though, you have this pattern of making excuses. This isn't the first time you found yourself in hot water. The last time was when you let an f-bomb fly on ESPNEWS, which probably contributed to why you aren't there anymore. You made excuses then. You're making excuses now, like 'That shouldn't have aired,' or 'I'm still waiting for him to apologize.'

Stop the excuses, own the mistake, and move on. It'll take a week, but people forget. Trust me.

Cliff Saunders