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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady cut his weekly interview with WEEI's Kirk & Callahan show short Monday over comments colleague Alex Reimer made about his daughter on the radio last week.
"It was very disappointing to hear that; my daughter or any child certainly does not deserve that," Brady said before ending the interview.
Reimer called Brady's five-year-old daughter an "annoying little pissant" on WEEI's Mut at Night with Mike Mutnansky last week. His comments came in a segment discussing the Tom vs. Time docuseries that has been airing on Facebook.
Reimer has not tweeted since the incident, and WEEI has suspended him. Mutnansky said later on the radio he was "worried about Reimer's long flight home."
Brady said he was unsure whether he would continue appearing on the radio station, which he has done regularly on Mondays for years.
Expected to win his third NFL MVP later this week, Brady is preparing for his record eighth Super Bowl on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He's in the midst of recovering from a thumb injury that required 10 stitches on his throwing hand suffered in a practice prior to New England's AFC Championship Game win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Given the massive media outpouring for Super Bowl week, this won't be the last we've heard of Brady's issues with WEEI.
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl 52 week began with the New England Patriots quarterback cutting short his interview on the Kirk & Callahan Show on WEEI after one of the station’s hosts insulted his 5-year-old daughter.
Alex Reimer called Vivian Brady an “annoying little pissant” on another WEEI show last week while discussing the documentary "Tom vs. Time," according to Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel.
Reimer was not presenting the Kirk & Callahan Show on Monday, when Brady called in for his weekly interview. "I've tried to come on this show for many years and showed you guys a lot of respect," Brady said in quotes reported by ESPN later on Monday. "I've always tried and come on and do a good job for you guys. It's very disappointing when you hear [Reimer’s comments], certainly. My daughter, or any child, certainly don't deserve that.
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“I really don't have much to say about it this morning," Brady added before ending the call at a little over two minutes.
WEEI said on Monday it had chosen to suspend Reimer last Friday, before Brady complained on air about his comments. “Reimer was informed last Friday he was being handed an indefinite suspension by WEEI, effective immediately,” an article on the station’s website read.
Brady will “assess” whether or not he wants to continue with the show, according to Boston.com. WEEI’s agreement with the Patriots includes two exclusive interviews per week, one with Brady and the other with head coach Bill Belichick.
Under Reimer’s last tweet, posted on January 26, a Twitter user posted the original audio of his comments. “I thought the first scene [of "Tom vs. Time"] was so staged,” Reimer said. “Where Brady’s in the kitchen, his kid’s being an annoying little pissant.”
You’re a piece of sh**. We all know that you don’t like Brady. We get it. But attacking his daughter? Really? That crosses the line. I hope you get fired.... pic.twitter.com/RZCSm80BAv — armyjen (@armyjen27) January 28, 2018
Brady shook off a hand injury to lead the Patriots into Super Bowl 52 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday.
WEEI's Alex Reimer made the comment while discussing Brady's Facebook documentary series 'Tom vs. Time,' which features the QB's family. Brady has a longstanding agreement to do a weekly radio interview with WEEI...
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Alex Reimer is a Boston-area sports journalist, known as an on-air personality on WEEI, a sports radio station based in Massachusetts.
Reimer is making headlines this week after he made a distasteful comment about Tom Brady’s daughter while on the radio. Reimer was discussing the first episode of Brady’s docuseries, Tom Vs. Time, on Thursday, January 25, when he called the child an “annoying little pissant.”
Reimer, 25, was suspended from WEEI on Friday, January 26. He has not released a statement or an apology of any kind.
Here is what you need to know:
1. He Was Suspended Indefinitely From WEEI & Brady Has Spoken Out About the Comment
They call me Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/3PlT57kc5g — Alex Reimer (@AlexReimer1) November 11, 2017
On Thursday, January 25, Reimer, made a comment about Brady’s daughter, Vivian (her mom is Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen), calling her an “annoying little pissant.”
“It was fine. It was okay. I thought the first scene was so staged, where Brady’s like, in the kitchen. His kid’s being an annoying little pissant,” Reimer said. WEEI has deleted the clip from their site, but it has popped up elsewhere on the internet. You can listen to it here.
Brady confronted the comment while chatting with “Kirk & Callahan” on Monday, January 29. Brady has made weekly appearances on the show for quite some time, but he told Kirk & Callahan that he is reconsidering a return following Reimer’s comment (Reimer has been a part of “Kirk & Callahan” regularly).
“I’ve tried to come on this show for many years and showed you guys a lot of respect … I’ve always tried to come on and do a good job for you guys. It’s very disappointing when you hear that, certainly. My daughter, or any child, they certainly don’t deserve that,” Brady said. “Obviously I’ll evaluate whether I want to come on this show again, so I really don’t have much to say this morning. Maybe I’ll speak with you guys another day,” he added.
WEEI has confirmed that Reimer was “suspended indefinitely” as of Friday, January 26.
2. He Is Being Slammed on Social Media & People Want Him to Get Fired
Hello @WEEI fans! You were introduced to this beautiful face one year ago today. Blame @KirkAndCallahan. pic.twitter.com/LDtYudMdr3 — Alex Reimer (@AlexReimer1) October 28, 2017
It’s no surprise that Patriots fans are taking shots at Reimer after his comment about Brady’s daughter. Although he has not released an apology to Brady or Brady’s family, he has responded to a comment about him potentially getting fired.
“I will stand strong,” Reimer said, kicking social media’s uproar into high gear.
“I cannot believe you thought you could bully the daughter of a professional athlete who plays in your state…and that professional athlete also happens to be the most popular man in New England, Tom Brady, who does interviews with your workplace. You must not like working,” wrote one Twitter user.
“Lmao, doesn’t sound like you will be standing anywhere near radio after Brady just yanked your livelihood away from you this morning cuz you’re a little bitch that tried to further your career with an intentionally crass hot take that bullied a 5 yr old girl,” wrote another.
3. He’s Openly Gay & Wonders Why There Aren’t Any Openly Gay Athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, or NHL
Reimer came out in college after struggling with his sexuality when he was younger. In 2016, he came out to WEEI listeners while on “Kirk & Callahan.” After coming out, Reimer said that it may have helped his career in sports journalism overall.
“The reaction from coworkers and colleagues was fine. I don’t think it’s hurt. In fact, it has probably helped, to be honest with you. In sports radio, it helps me stand out. There’s traditionally a more heterosexual, conservative audience. I come in and shock that audience a bit,” Reimer told Boston Spirit Magazine in a 2017 interview.
In that same interview, the LGBT publication also asked Reimer what “sports-related issue” he was interested in at the time.
“I’m puzzled at the fact that we still have no active, openly gay players in the NFL, MLB, NHL, or NBA. At the corporate level, these organizations seem to do a great job when it comes to LGBT inclusion. But there’s still something missing in the equation in making the locker room a truly open and welcoming space,” Reimer responded.
As far as athletes that Reimer is attracted to, he named Jimmy Garoppolo and Danny Amendola. And while Brady has been appreciated as an attractive man, the quarterback doesn’t do it for Reimer.
“He seems a little too tender, a little too soft to the touch,” Reimer said.
4. He Has Been Writing About Sports Since He Was a Kid & His Work Has Been Featured in Forbes & SB Nation
OK, folks. @kirkmin hates my hat. I love it and have received many compliments. What do we think? Vote in the poll below: pic.twitter.com/cD3fMPDBYp — Alex Reimer (@AlexReimer1) November 14, 2017
Reimer joined WEEI in October 2016. He has not only written for various shows, but he has been a guest on “Kirk & Callahan” several times.
While most journalists get their starts in college, Reimer was far ahead of the game, getting recognized for his work in the industry when he was just a kid. The the age of 12, Reimer landed himself spots on The Today Show and The Tonight Show because of his talents in sports journalism.
The video below is of Reimer interviewing the host of Baseball Tonight, Karl Ravech, back in 2011. The segment was part of KSPORTS New England, “a monthly sports magazine show for kids by kids.” At the time, Reimer was 19 years old.
Reimer landed an internship at 98.5 The Sports Hub in 2013. According to his LinkedIn page, he worked as an intern for “Felger and Mazz” and “The Baseball Reporters.” He did “screen calls and aided hosts in show preparation.”
From there, Reimer went on to work as a featured columnist at the Boston Herald, all while keeping up with podcasts and other radio gigs. After six months writing for the Herald, Reimer became the co-host of “Big Show Unfiltered.” He also landed himself a steady gig on as an “on-air personality for the Boston Herald’s flagship radio station.”
He has worked for BostInno, Boston Magazine, SB Nation, and Forbes, all of which round out his impressive resume.
5. He’s a Massachusetts Native & Graduated From Boston University
Reimer grew up in Massachusetts. Although he doesn’t consider himself an “athlete” by any means, he ran cross country while attending Natick High School.
After graduation, Reimer attended Boston University, where he studied broadcast journalism. He has previously explained why sports broadcasting is the right place for him.
“It’s a fit for my personality. When you’re talking about sports, you can be more bombastic than about more serious topics. But it’s also a springboard to talk about cultural and social issues. That’s what makes someone like Colin Kaepernick such a great story. You can talk about his protest in terms of what it does to his football value, how it relates to police brutality, and whether it bothers you if he doesn’t stand for the National Anthem,” Reimer explained to Boston Spirit Magazine.
