Henry Imler October 9th, 2007

The Backstory:
While a talk-show brawl usually has all the veracity of professional
wrestling, it’s not unheard of for legitimate hostilities to break out,
even when celebrities are involved (For example, see the scrap between
civil-rights activists Al Sharpton and Roy Innis on the set of The
Morton Downey Jr. Show).

But, the incident between sports-radio host Jim Rome and NFL
quarterback Jim Everett wasn’t sparked by a heated political debate or
the incitements of a hooting and hollering crowd. It stemmed from
Rome’s habit of nicknaming his guest “Chris”— as in female tennis
player Chris Evert—due to his habit of avoiding contact.

The Beatdown:
After two years of this, Everett was clearly ready to snap when he
appeared on Rome’s ESPN2 talk show Talk2 in 1994 and was immediately
introduced as “Chris” Everett. “If you call me Chris Evert to my face
one more time, you’d better take a station break,” Everett warned. “I
think that you probably won’t say it again.” “I bet I do,” Rome said.
“Chris.”

In the jungle, zoologists refer to this type of behavior as “Jumping
into the lion’s den wearing steak pants,” and it is generally regarded
as an unwise decision. Everett, not surprisingly, flipped over the
table separating him from his host and threw Rome to the floor,
whereupon a cameraman rushed in to break up the melee before Everett
punched him in the grill.

From here.

• Humor
• Comments(1)