Washington Commanders BAN two radio hosts for calling a female reporter ‘Barbie girl’ and a ‘cheerleader’ live on air

The Washington Commanders have banned two local sports radio personalities from attending the team’s preseason training camp after they made sexists comments on their show earlier this week. 

Don Geronimo and Crash Young, who are both employed by WBIG-FM in Washington D.C., cat-called Sharla McBride – a WUSA9 reporter in America’s capital – while live on air as she was nearby. 

‘Hey look, Barbie’s here,’ Geronimo said about McBride. ‘Hi, Barbie girl. I’m guessing she is a cheerleader.’ 

When he spotted McBride again later in the broadcast, Geronimo turned towards Young, telling him: ‘Oh hey, there’s that chick that you thought said tight.’ 

It’s unclear what ‘tight’ means in this particular context. 

Don Geronimo, of WBIG-FM in DC, called Sharla McBride ‘Barbie’ and a ‘cheerleader’ this week

Crash Young, a radio personality in D.C., was also barred entry by the Commanders on Friday

‘Yeah, I screamed tight when she was,’ replied Young before being interrupted. 

Geronimo later re-iterated: ‘I thought she was a cheerleader.’

On Friday, no personnel of WBIG-FM was seen in the radio station’s outdoor tent, and the team will further look into how to proceed forward from the incident. 

The Commanders are locked in a three-year partnership deal with iHeartMedia – WBIG-FM’s parent company – since 2022.

Employees of the NFL franchise have previously been accused of promoting a culture of sexism and misogyny under previous owner Dan Snyder, who sold his majority share to an ownership group led by Josh Harris and Magic Johnson.

The team condemned the incident in a statement shared with WUSA9. 

Sharla McBride, of D.C. TV outlet WUSA9, said she was ‘hurt’ and ‘offended’ by the remarks

The Commanders recently changed ownership after Dan Snyder agreed to sell to Josh Harris

‘We have worked hard to ensure that everyone feels safe and respected in our workplace, and we took swift action when we learned that an employee of our partner iHeart made sexually disparaging remarks to and about a member of the media while she was broadcasting live from training camp yesterday,’ said the Commanders. 

‘iHeart and the individual were not permitted to broadcast from Training Camp today, and we will continue to work collaboratively with iHeart to address the issue and trust that iHeart will take appropriate action as it works through an internal investigation.’ 

McBride revealed that was ‘hurt’ and ‘offended’ by the remarks, which she deemed as ‘inappropriate, unprofessional and embarrassing,’ according to WUSA9. 

The TV network was also quick to denounce the incident. 

‘Objectifying women is harmful and disrespectful,’ said WUSA9 General Manager Richard Dyer. ‘We’ve heard from the Washington Commanders that they are addressing the situation directly with iHeartRadio.

‘Promoting respect, empathy and equal treatment for all individuals, regardless of gender, is crucial for building respect in any workplace.’