HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Baseball analyst Steve Phillips was fired Sunday by ESPN, less than one week after he confessed to having an affair with a production assistant at the cable network.
"Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN," network spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement. "His ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably damaged, and it became evident it was time to part ways."
The former New York Mets general manager had taken a leave of absence after the New York Post broke the news that Phillips had been having an affair that turned ugly when the woman allegedly started to harass his family after the pair broke up.
"I am deeply sorry that I have put my family and colleagues through this," Phillips said at the time. "It is a personal matter that I will not comment on further. I have, however, asked for a leave of absence to address this with my family and to avoid any unnecessary distractions through the balance of the baseball playoffs."
According to the Post, the baseball analyst and his wife, Marni Phillips, notified the police about alleged harassment from Brooke Hundley, a 22-year-old production assistant at ESPN.
Phillips told police that he had three romantic encounters with Hundley after meeting her for the first time in July. He broke things off a few weeks later, leading to Hundley allegedly contacting his wife for the first time on Aug. 5 with a string of text messages and phone calls.
Phillips and his wife also told police that Hundley attempted to reach their 16-year-old son through Facebook.
"She asked inappropriate questions about my parents, such as: Do they sleep in the same bed? Do you think they will be getting a divorce? Do they fight a lot?" the child told authorities.
Marni Phillips also told authorities about an incident on Aug. 19 in which Hundley allegedly smashed her car at the couple's home.
"I knew instinctively this was the woman Steve was involved with and I was terrified," she told police. "I immediately called 911."
Hundley is said to have left a letter at the time, in which she wrote about "a big birthmark on his crotch . . . and one on his left inner thigh, so you know I'm not being fake."
Marni Phillips filed for divorce Sept. 14, according to court records.
Phillips' tenure with the Mets was also rocked by his infidelity when he admitting to having sex with a team employee, Rosa Rodriguez.
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