ESPN Arkansas radio host Derek Ruscin is “taking time away” from his role after the network said his comments about Razorbacks catcher Michael Turner “went too far” in a scathing on-air rant over the weekend.
Ruscin called Turner a “disgrace” and “stupid ass,” among other lewd terms in response to the catcher’s recent comments about fans while discussing the Razorbacks’ struggles.
“We’re just trying to keep the circle tight and cut out a lot of the outside noise. It’s not always that easy to play here,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of people that are fans, some are good fans, some are not good fans. And if you read Twitter after the game, it can get in your mind a little bit. So we’re just trying to keep the circle tight and keep moving forward.”
That set Ruscin off.
“First of all, you’re not a Razorback, you’re a rental player and you’ve sucked, so thanks for nothing,” Ruscin said Friday about Turner, a fifth-year transfer out of Kent State, on his “Ruscin & Zach” podcast after he played audio of Turner’s comments on his podcast.
“Secondly, as a rental player, you do not get to come in here and criticize this fan base, you stupid ass. Not a chance. The question was about what’s wrong with the team, and you used the entire answer to take a swing at this fan base,” Ruscin ranted. “You’re a disgrace, Michael Turner. You’re a disgrace! You should not get to wear that uniform again. What a loser. You know why they’re losing? Because you’re a loser, and you’re the catcher. You’re in charge of this whole thing on the infield. You’re a loser and a disgrace. And you can’t get out of this program soon enough.”
ESPN Arkansas’ marketing manager Tommy Craft released a statement announcing the network will deal with the situation involving Ruscin internally.
“Derek Ruscin will be taking time away from his afternoon role on ESPN Arkansas stations,” Craft said. “His comments during Friday’s show concerning Michael Turner went too far and did not meet out companies’ standard for quality content.”
Ruscin and Turner have yet to address the situation publicly as of Tuesday morning.
On Sunday, the catcher re-shared a tweet that appeared to reference Ruscin’s comments.
The tweet read: “Maybe watch him play in person. Maybe see how hard he plays. Maybe ask him some questions after a game. Maybe get to know him a little better. Maybe don’t form your opinion based off one soundbite. Maybe don’t hide behind a microphone. Maybe you’ll realize he’s not a loser.”
Arkansas finished the season 38-18, before losing both games in the SEC baseball tournament as the No. 3 seed.
On Monday, it was announced that Arkansas is the No. 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks will face Grand Canyon University on Friday. Oklahoma State is the host and top seed.