Hot Seat Alert: Apparently You Can Now Be Fired For Calling Someone A "Spider Monkey"...Uh Oh #PrayForBarstool
97.1 The Ticket - If Chris Bosio’s account is true, the Tigers may soon find themselves in court.
Bosio told USA Today on Thursday that he was fired by the Tigers for using the term ‘spider monkey’ in reference to one of the team’s white players. It was overheard by a black clubhouse attendant, who took offense to the term and filed a complaint. The Tigers terminated Bosio’s contract on Wednesday, two days after the alleged incident, for making insensitive comments to a team employee.
Bosio said he did not use the term in a racial manner nor did he direct it toward the clubhouse attendant. He was referring instead to reliever Daniel Stumpf.
Per USA Today:
“Someone in our coaches’ room asked me (Monday afternoon) about Stumpf,’’ Bosio said. “And I said, “Oh, you mean, ‘Spider Monkey.’ That’s his nickname. He’s a skinny little white kid who makes all of these funny faces when he works out.
“The kid thought we were talking about him. He got all upset. He assumed we were talking about him. I said, “No, no, no. We’re talking about Stumpf.’
“And that was it. I swear on my mom and dad’s graves, there was nothing else to it.’’
Bosio said he was questioned about the incident on Tuesday in a meeting with GM Al Avila, assistant GM and general counsel John Westhoff and manager Ron Gardenhire. He did not deny using the term in question, but clarified it was directed at Stumpf.
When Bosio showed up to work on Wendesday, he was pulled into a conference room and fired.
The pitching coach was in the first year of a two-year contract. He told USA Today the Tigers have not told him whether they’ll pay him the remaining money on his deal. He plans to hire an attorney to determine whether to file a wrongful termination lawsuit.
“I’ve got protect myself someway,’’ Bosio said, “because this is damaging as hell to me. I’ve got to fight for myself. Everyone knows this is not me. I didn’t use any profanity. There was no vulgarity. The N-word wasn’t used. No racial anything. It was a comment, and a nickname we used for a player.
“This kid and I had a great relationship. This kid played jokes on me all spring, and I told him, “Now you’re offended, because you heard the word “monkey, or spider monkey,’’ and it’s not even directed at you.’’
“We crack fat jokes on our trainer everyday. All kinds of things are said in a baseball clubhouse. And for this to happen to me?
“I don’t know what else to say, but I know I don’t deserve this.’’
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What a RIDICULOUS story, if true. Tigers pitching coach Chris Bosio is claiming the Tigers fired him for referring to relief pitcher Daniel Stumpf as a spider monkey. He claims an African American clubhouse attendant overheard it, took it out of context, and got him fired. Now, we don’t know if there is any bad blood between the two of them, we don’t know if anything else was said, or any of that. But if he was really, truly fired for referring to Daniel Stumpf as a spider monkey, this could be what brings Barstool down for good. Imagine if Laura Wagner found out everyone at Barstool calls me a spider monkey? Holy Toledo, we’re going to be bankrupt faster than Deadsp…well…ummm…faster than Deadspin can go bankrupt again! Imagine the hit pieces. I mean we already have Big Cat (from Pardon My Take) admitting it.
Very smart! Gotta get out ahead of the story, claim wrongdoing, and just try to move on.
As for the rest of my coworkers? I’m not sure what happens to them now. The precedent has been set. I guess we were destined to fall sooner or later. I guess it’s back to the steel mill for Gaz, back to picking corn for Trent, and back to being a newspaper boy for Dave. As for me? Hopefully I get a big payout from this. Who knew this entire time I was sitting on a gold mine? Wild.
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PS: It goes without saying, spider monkey is an awesome nickname. And now I need a picture with my spider monkey in arms, Daniel Stumpf. Us SMs stick together.
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PS: If it turns out Chris Bosio did more than call Stumpf a spider monkey, I retract everything. I’m just going off his words, obviously. There are always 2 sides to every story, and hopefully we’ll hear the other side. But based on his story, it is an absurd firing.
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PS: Uh, yes we sell spider monkey shirts. Obviously!