Brooke Hundley “No Longer Working” At ESPN, Day After Steve Phillips Fired

What was first an “extended leave of absence” is now a permanent one – ESPN announced late tonight it had fired baseball analyst Steve Phillips. Update on Monday morning: Hundley has been let go as well.

Last week the New York Post broke the story that Phillips had an affair with 22-year-old ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley, who then contacted his wife and family. But questions still remain about Phillips’ future – and Hundley’s.

ESPN released this statement to Mediaite:

Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN. 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.

But we asked specifically if Phillips had violated any ESPN rules, and spokesperson Josh Krulewitz referred us to the statement. The statement makes a point to say Phillips’ “ability to be an effective representative” is the reason he is no longer working there, which implies it may have been a response to the uproar, rather than a violation of a rule.

When the Post first reported the story last week, ESPN’s statement was noticeably different. “We were aware of this and took appropriate disciplinary action at the time,” it said. “We have granted Steve’s request for an extended leave of absence to allow him to address it. We have no further comment.” A source told the Post the amount of time was one week. As the story has evolved, ESPN’s position clearly has as well – and now Phillips has been fired.

And here’s another twist to the whole story – Sports Illustrated reporter Jon Heyman tweets a statement from Phillips’ lawyer: “Steve Phillips is voluntarily admitting himself to an inpatient treatment facility to address his personal issues.” We’re not sure exactly what this means, but it appears there’s more to the story here.

While Phillips may not have broken any ESPN rules, what about Brooke Hundley? The 22-year-old production assistant began cyber-stalking his son and left a note at his house, causing his wife to call the police. But Krulewitz had “no comment” regarding whether Hundley was still an employee with the network, or if she was up for any potential repercussions.

This story is far from over, but now we know it won’t involve Phillips making his return to ESPN.

> Update: The latest from ESPN: A spokesperson tells Mediaite, “Brooke Hundley is no longer working here.” We hear that, just like Phillips, she was fired. That was quick…

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