Another development in the story involving Seth Dunlap, the openly gay host of the weeknight sports show “The Last Lap With Seth Dunlap” on WWL Radio in New Orleans…
In September, Dunlap was called a homophobic slur by the station’s official Twitter page after he wrote an open letter to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees about his partnership with the antigay hate group Focus on the Family.
WWL Radio and its parent company Entercom quickly launched an internal investigation into the matter.
NOLA.com reports:
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The station told the NOPD that the forensic investigation found an IP address — a unique number given to a piece of hardware, such as a cellphone — connected to the tweet that was associated with Dunlap’s phone. Megan Kiefer, Dunlap’s attorney, has disputed the claims, saying the radio station has not done anything to prove them.
After releasing the findings from the internal investigation, the company accused Dunlap of trying to extort $1.8 million from the station in an alleged effort to pay off his mounting personal debts.
In response, police launched their own investigation. They obtained a search warrant for Dunlap’s phone records, but that investigation is still ongoing.
Now, several outlets are reporting that, for weeks, Dunlap has been ignoring requests from the station to resign. (He’s been on an extended absence since the day after the tweet was sent.) And now, his lawyer says, he’s been fired.
Times Picayune reports:
Dunlap’s attorney, Megan Kiefer, confirmed Saturday that her client was dismissed two days earlier. She said the station and its corporate parent, Pennsylvania-based Entercom, had “tried to pressure him to resign” in recent weeks, but he refused because he maintains his innocence in the dispute. “The action of Entercom wrongfully terminating Mr. Dunlap has compounded his damages,” Kiefer said. Neither Entercom nor WWL Radio officials responded to requests for comment on Dunlap’s status.
Kiefer has accused the station of trying to “create a narrative to avoid its own culpability by implicating any innocent employee, including Seth” and noted that Dunlap took a polygraph test that showed no indication of lying when he was asked about any involvement with the homophobic tweet.
If the accusations against him prove to be true, however, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
Related: Radio host who was called gay slur by station’s Twitter page accused of sending the tweet himself
Bob LaBlah
From the article: “If the accusations against him prove to be true, however, he could face up to 15 years in prison.”
In January of this year NatGeo cable station ran a story on gays in prison. Heaven help him once he goes out in “public” areas of that prison and tries to mingle with other white prisoners whom would have NEVER been given the opportunities in life he was awarded with. He is going to do at least ten full years before they let him go. Good luck. At least you thought it was worth it. And don’t be jealous of Jussie Smollett either. We can’t all be lucky enough to have a former First Lady intercede on behalf of our lies we got caught in.
alterego1980
Why do you speak like you’re assuming he is guilty? Is there another article that proves extortion? Because it sounds like (and I understand the nature of this site) that the extortion ploy could have been fabricated as a way to distract from the fact that he’s being fired for calling out a a sports favorite for supporting an anti-gay organization…
Bob LaBlah
As everyone cheered Bruce Jenner’s transformation into Kaitlyn I told them it wouldn’t be long before they regretted it and was proven right. I along with hundreds of other commenters called out Jussie Smollett because what he was saying just didn’t sound right from the start and was proven right. I along with numerous others call this one too what it is, a hoax, and thru his own actions proved it right.
Creamsicle
Called it.
He took time off immediately after the tweet. I joked that he was probably fielding calls from every attorney in town because this kind of harassment from your employer’s official social media account would be an instant payday.
Seems someone was trying to get rich quick. I’m just glad he was dumb enough to use his own phone instead of buying a cheap burner.
DarkZephyr
What exactly did you “call”? The police investigation is ongoing. And if they discover that his phone DIDN’T make the tweet, his payday will only increase.
wellinmysoul
thinking he lived up to the slur
Hdtex
No, but YOU do.
marion
Graham and his never ending search for outrage, even when it’s fake!
JaredMacBride
People who don’t show up for work often get fired.
Cam
The fact that they kept asking him to resign instead of firing him makes me think the station was trying to sweep it under the rug. If they had actual proof they would have just fired the guy.
DarkZephyr
Ultimately I have a “wait and see” approach with this story BUT the station IS acting awfully weird about this. They won’t show their supposed proof that he’s the one that did it, and like you said, they were pressuring him to resign instead of immediately firing him. Plus he passed a polygraph. Makes ya think. I see that the homophobia defenders of Queerty’s comment section are on the station’s side though.
Melanesian
DarkZephyr a polygraph doesn’t prove anything. It’s quack science & is inadmissible in court. If anything, lawyers still use it to try & influence public opinion.
RyanMBecker
A polygraph test is legally inadmissible for a reason. It’s unreliable and proves nothing. At best, it’s only about 80% or so reliable and simply means that the subject is not displaying any signs of conflict. But worst, the was paid by subject. That means that the results are only released to the public if they are favorable. Do we know how many tests he might have failed before finding one that was favorable? Maybe none, maybe ten. The point is that polygraphs are more of a PR stunt than useful.
DarkZephyr
Melanesian, RyanMBecker, my tiny comment about the polygraph was a “plus” addition to my whole post, but thanks for zeroing in on that and ignoring the rest. I stand by what I said. We shall see how this all plays out, but I do remain suspicious of the station. Sorry.
johnnymcmxxx
So is this supposedly a low rent white Jussie Smollett attempt for attention and money? We shall find out.