'How cruel': ESPN announcer's horror on-air comment after death of colleague

An ESPN announcer has been widely slammed over a seemingly ‘tasteless’ remark about the tragic death of a colleague.

Carley McCord was killed on Saturday when the small plane she was travelling in en route to a college football playoff game crashed into a post office parking lot in Louisiana shortly after takeoff.

The crash killed five people, including well-known sports reporter McCord - who was the daughter-in-law of one of the team's coaches.

Amid the tragedy, ESPN’s Matt Barrie sparked uproar during a live TV segment before the game with a poor choice of words.

“Certainly our thoughts and prayers with coach and his family, as he gets to do his job and try to put away the distraction of losing his daughter-in-law just hours before kick-off,” Barrie said just hours after the crash.

The ‘Awful Announcing’ website received thousands of likes on a tweet about Barrie’s comment, while other high-profile figures were also fuming that he would describe the tragedy as a ‘distraction’.

“I know your job is to talk about the game but in moments like these is when your humanity should kick in,” tweeted Annie Apple, mother of New Orleans Saints cornerback Eli.

“Death of his daughter-in-law is not ‘a distraction’. Just say ‘Ensminger will be coaching with a heavy heart today’. Producers, help dude fix this.”

However others were quick to defend Barrie.

Steven Ensminger Jr, son of the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana State University football team, said his wife, Carley McCord, was on board the flight and died when it crashed. He said the plane was en route to the Peach Bowl playoff game in Atlanta between LSU and Oklahoma.

“I just don't feel like this is real,” Ensminger Jr told the AP in an Instagram message.

Ensminger Jr said he was unable to go to the game and was at work when the crash happened. He said his father, Steven Ensminger, called him just before the elder Ensminger got to the stadium.

The coach had tears in his eyes when he appeared on the field at the start of the game Saturday afternoon, and LSU players embraced him with hugs.

The Lafayette Fire Department identified the other people who were killed as Ian E. Biggs, 51, the plane's pilot; Robert Vaughn Crisp II, 59; Gretchen D. Vincent, 51; and Michael Walker Vincent, 15.

Carley McCord sorely missed

McCord was a Baton Rouge native and sports reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans and appeared as a sideline reporter for ESPN, according to her website. She previously worked in television in Cleveland, and she was a two-time runner-up in the Miss Louisiana pageant.

“We are devastated by the loss of such an amazing talent and valued member of our WDSU family,” said WDSU President and General Manager, Joel Vilmenay. “Carley's passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from high school to the professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist.”

McCord was also part of the game-day entertainment staff for the NFL's New Orleans Saints and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, regularly appearing in promotional segments broadcast during games.

“Carley was a valued member of both our New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans family as an in-game host and her infectious personality and knowledge of both teams entertained our fans,” the two teams said.

Ensminger Jr said he and his wife had the same birthday, and he shared a photo of the two celebrating at a restaurant, a dessert with a candle between them.

His Instagram account shows photos of the couple and their families at various sporting events and celebrations. He updated the account Saturday to say: “I'll never be the same with out you, Carley! You are, and will forever be my world.”

McCord is the second journalist working in the New Orleans area to die in a plane crash this year. On August 16, WVUE news anchor Nancy Parker was doing a story in New Orleans about stunt pilot Franklin Augustus when the plane crashed. Both Parker and Augustus died.

with Associated Press