The Truth Comes Out About Former ESPN Executive Mark Shapiro
/EINPresswire.com/ October 5, 2011 -- I've been wronged. My name is Jason Goldberg, as painful as this is for me to talk about; I need to confess the truth about former ESPN executive Mark Shapiro. While working for ESPN Talk2 with Jim Rome, he proposed an unethical business arrangement with me: be his patsy and take the blame, thereby ruining my budding career with ESPN for his benefit. In exchange for my "loyalty" he'd receive an immediate promotion to Bristol, CN to produce Sports Century and vowed to take care of me with "a promising career." Against my better judgment, I took the bullet for him. This is my story.
Shapiro, while producing ESPNTalk2 with Jim Rome, would routinely write ESPN credentials for friends, so they could attend live sporting events with "All Access" passes. He was suspended by ESPN for these actions. Today, Jason Goldberg former employee of the Talk2 show is reporting that Shapiro was suspended another time as again he wrote credentials for friends to attend sporting events. This time was different. When ESPN asked Shapiro if he was guilty of the repeated violations, he denied having any involvement as it would surely jeopardize his position with the show as a newly appointed producer. When this information got back to the ESPN executives, they suspended Shapiro from Talk2 until the guilty party was found. Shapiro lied to ESPN claiming, although it was his computer issuing the e-mail correspondence involving the credentials, it wasn't him. ESPN executives were sending compliance officers, including executive John Walsh, to investigate the offices in Los Angeles.
Goldberg asserts that he was asked by Shapiro and his best friend at the time Hank Metzger, to take the blame for Shapiro's lies and repeated violations to exonerate him from the trouble he created. Shapiro and Metzger directly spoke to Goldberg claiming, "It's all about Loyalty! Take the bullet for Shapiro and tell them: you broke in his office and sent the credentials," Goldberg recounts. Shapiro clearly understood what he was presenting to Goldberg: sacrifice yourself to ESPN by taking the blame, become an accessory of a crime, as the circumstances for Mark were deadly to his upcoming promotion.
After Goldberg agreed, he called the then Coordinating Producer of the Talk2 Show, Deborah Vogel, by phone and confessed that it was he, not Shapiro, who sent the forged credentials. The result was that Mark Shapiro got what he wanted: an immediate promotion with his image and reputation protected even though it came at the expense of terminating Goldberg's career with ESPN. "I was fired immediately. It was humiliating to go back and clear my desk out. I remember going back to Jim Rome's office and telling him what I had done. Rome was impressed with my "loyalty" and believed that Shapiro would "make it up to me in the long run," said Goldberg.
In turn, Shapiro was promoted immediately to produce the iconic Sports Century Classics. Through the years that he continued to work at ESPN Shapiro would routinely give Goldberg tickets to sporting events. Mark Shapiro still giving Jason Goldberg tickets to games even after Goldberg had "broke into his office and sent out phony credentials to Shapiro's friends" -- Strange?
"I know what I did was wrong. At this point, I just want to let people know who this guy really is; he thinks he has everyone fooled. Shapiro was a friend of mine, and I'm devastated I lost my career. I was trying to become a sports broadcaster at the time and was working on a tape in this capacity with Shapiro. I want this off my conscience. Shapiro is a vicious guy that cheated me and lied to ESPN to gain his opportunity with the company all at my expense. You have to ask yourself what kind of guy is Shapiro to not honor his word or agreements for doing what I did for him. I've lost a lot here and gained nothing." said Goldberg.
*This story has been confirmed with actual audio evidence of his admitting to this action.
For more information or interest please contact Public Relations Rick D'Elia: 323-445-2275
###
Shapiro, while producing ESPNTalk2 with Jim Rome, would routinely write ESPN credentials for friends, so they could attend live sporting events with "All Access" passes. He was suspended by ESPN for these actions. Today, Jason Goldberg former employee of the Talk2 show is reporting that Shapiro was suspended another time as again he wrote credentials for friends to attend sporting events. This time was different. When ESPN asked Shapiro if he was guilty of the repeated violations, he denied having any involvement as it would surely jeopardize his position with the show as a newly appointed producer. When this information got back to the ESPN executives, they suspended Shapiro from Talk2 until the guilty party was found. Shapiro lied to ESPN claiming, although it was his computer issuing the e-mail correspondence involving the credentials, it wasn't him. ESPN executives were sending compliance officers, including executive John Walsh, to investigate the offices in Los Angeles.
Goldberg asserts that he was asked by Shapiro and his best friend at the time Hank Metzger, to take the blame for Shapiro's lies and repeated violations to exonerate him from the trouble he created. Shapiro and Metzger directly spoke to Goldberg claiming, "It's all about Loyalty! Take the bullet for Shapiro and tell them: you broke in his office and sent the credentials," Goldberg recounts. Shapiro clearly understood what he was presenting to Goldberg: sacrifice yourself to ESPN by taking the blame, become an accessory of a crime, as the circumstances for Mark were deadly to his upcoming promotion.
After Goldberg agreed, he called the then Coordinating Producer of the Talk2 Show, Deborah Vogel, by phone and confessed that it was he, not Shapiro, who sent the forged credentials. The result was that Mark Shapiro got what he wanted: an immediate promotion with his image and reputation protected even though it came at the expense of terminating Goldberg's career with ESPN. "I was fired immediately. It was humiliating to go back and clear my desk out. I remember going back to Jim Rome's office and telling him what I had done. Rome was impressed with my "loyalty" and believed that Shapiro would "make it up to me in the long run," said Goldberg.
In turn, Shapiro was promoted immediately to produce the iconic Sports Century Classics. Through the years that he continued to work at ESPN Shapiro would routinely give Goldberg tickets to sporting events. Mark Shapiro still giving Jason Goldberg tickets to games even after Goldberg had "broke into his office and sent out phony credentials to Shapiro's friends" -- Strange?
"I know what I did was wrong. At this point, I just want to let people know who this guy really is; he thinks he has everyone fooled. Shapiro was a friend of mine, and I'm devastated I lost my career. I was trying to become a sports broadcaster at the time and was working on a tape in this capacity with Shapiro. I want this off my conscience. Shapiro is a vicious guy that cheated me and lied to ESPN to gain his opportunity with the company all at my expense. You have to ask yourself what kind of guy is Shapiro to not honor his word or agreements for doing what I did for him. I've lost a lot here and gained nothing." said Goldberg.
*This story has been confirmed with actual audio evidence of his admitting to this action.
For more information or interest please contact Public Relations Rick D'Elia: 323-445-2275
###
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