Flyers Suspend Radio Host After NSFW Hot-Mic Gaffe

Hockey fans listening to the Philadelphia Flyers' radio call Thursday night got something the team definitely didn't intend: an explicit joke from its longtime play-by-play guy during what he seemed to think was a commercial break. USA Today's For the Win reports that Tim Saunders, the radio voice of the Flyers on 97.5 The Fanatic, appeared to believe the game had gone to a TV timeout late in the third period and that his microphone was off. After several seconds of silence and some filler sounds, he made a lewd joke to a colleague—"While you're down there, would you mind b---ing me?"—that was broadcast to listeners (listen here).

Color analyst Todd Fedoruk realized they were live and said, "I think we're still on the air, Tim," but Saunders initially assumed Fedoruk was teasing him and laughed, apparently unaware that the comment had gone out live. The Flyers later announced that a two-game suspension had been issued by the team and its radio partners, though they didn't mention Saunders by name. In a statement, the organization and station apologized to listeners, offering "sincere" regrets to anyone offended. SB Nation has some sage advice in the aftermath of Saunders' flub: "Never, ever assume there's dead air."