Don Cherry ‘very disappointed' by Ron MacLean's comments about health, Hockey Night in Canada exit
For his part, Cherry insisted to Warmington that while he was 'pretty tired,' there was no hospital visit in Boston.
Article content
'I went to my room,' he said, admitting he later visited a hospital upon returning to Canada, where he spent one night being assessed and treated for pneumonia.
Article content
Regardless, MacLean went on to suggest the 'pneumonia scare' led Cherry to begin 'plotting a way out' that ultimately arrived on a November broadcast ahead of Remembrance Day when he spoke about immigrants to Canada not wearing poppies to honour Canada's fallen soldiers.
Article content
'You people come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for a poppy,' Cherry said at the time.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Rogers Sportsnet released him two days later following public backlash, which MacLean said 'was the right outcome.'
Article content
'Don needed out, and the time was right. (Remembrance Day) was his last swing, taking a stance that's unpopular, but that feels good in his world. For Don, it's all a fight. It's all a battle. So he was happy and I'm happy for him.'
Article content
Cherry also flatly rejected that assertion, saying 'he wasn't looking for a way out.'
Article content
'He can say what he wants, but it never happened.'
Article content
@CoachsCornerDC says @Ron_MacLean in story suggesting he was looking for an exit plan to leave Coach's Corner and Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet is wrong and than it's the other way around. They were looking for reason to fire him. pic.twitter.com/I8TnUnmegr
— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) July 12, 2025
Article content
Article content
Cherry said he's not been in contact with MacLean about the statements, nor does he plan to reach out.
Article content
As for the future of the Grapevine podcast, Cherry and his son told Warmington that the show will continue.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
13-08-2025
- CBC
Team NT celebrates basketball win against Prince Edward Island
After being down 13 points at halftime the team rallied against everyone's expectations, including their coach, to take out the win. The final score was 81 to 78 against Prince Edward Island.
National Post
12-08-2025
- National Post
Gregg Zaun reveals details behind Sportsnet firing for ‘inappropriate behaviour'
During his tenure as an in-studio analyst on Rogers Sportsnet for the Toronto Blue Jays, Gregg Zaun never was afraid to call it like he saw it. Article content Now, eight years after his high-profile firing from the broadcaster, Zaun isn't afraid to admit his mistakes. Article content Article content Zaun, a former Blue Jays catcher during his playing days, opened up during a podcast appearance this week about his unceremonious departure, including about the allegations made against him and how greatly they have affected him personally and professionally. Article content 'I definitely made mistakes. I let celebrity get in my head,' Zaun said during Monday's episode of the Toronto Legends podcast. 'I was never as famous in Canada as a player as I was as a broadcaster. I mean, I couldn't walk down the street. Article content 'My life was turned upside down, ruined. My professional career, ruined,' he added. 'I can't get a job in television. There's not a lot of forgiveness for people that look like me in this world. And it's my fault. It's absolutely my fault.' Article content While Zaun said that he was 'shocked' by the allegations, he also held himself accountable for letting things get too far. Article content Article content 'There are certain topics of conversation that don't belong in the workplace. And it's funny, the biggest mistake that I've made is thinking that because a lot of the conversations and exchanges were initiated by females in the workplace that they were somehow OK. That I was somehow justified in participating in those conversations. The tomfoolery, the hijinks. These allegations, they were shocking to me,' Zaun said. Article content 'I was just having fun with willing participants. Yeah, the environment was inappropriate. It was my fault for letting it get as far as it did. I should have been classier and I definitely should be held to a higher level of accountability,' he added. Article content Article content Several anonymous Sportsnet employees previously told the Canadian Press that Zaun had made sexual comments 'with the clear intention of making us uncomfortable.' Article content During the podcast interview, Zaun said that the network pushed him to become a 'Manalyst,' which he described as the 'Don Cherry of baseball.' Article content 'Sportsnet created that 'Manalyst' guy. They wanted 'Don Cherry of baseball,' so I gave it to them,' Zaun said. Article content But Zaun says he's capable of more than that sort of role. Article content 'People misunderstand or underestimate my versatility. I can be whatever you want me to be. You want me to be the loud guy. You want me to cause a ruckus. You want me to polarize the fan base. I can do that,' Zaun said. Article content 'Do you want me to just be quiet and go put my head down and be a soldier, and accomplish a list of tasks that you want from me? I can do that too. It's just easier to blame my past transgressions, my past mistakes, as the reason why you don't want to have a conversation.' Article content
Edmonton Journal
12-08-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Gregg Zaun reveals details behind Sportsnet firing for ‘inappropriate behaviour'
During his tenure as an in-studio analyst on Rogers Sportsnet for the Toronto Blue Jays, Gregg Zaun never was afraid to call it like he saw it. Article content Now, eight years after his high-profile firing from the broadcaster, Zaun isn't afraid to admit his mistakes. Article content Zaun, a former Blue Jays catcher during his playing days, opened up during a podcast appearance this week about his unceremonious departure, including about the allegations made against him and how greatly they have affected him personally and professionally. Article content Article content 'I definitely made mistakes. I let celebrity get in my head,' Zaun said during Monday's episode of the Toronto Legends podcast. 'I was never as famous in Canada as a player as I was as a broadcaster. I mean, I couldn't walk down the street. Article content 'My life was turned upside down, ruined. My professional career, ruined,' he added. 'I can't get a job in television. There's not a lot of forgiveness for people that look like me in this world. And it's my fault. It's absolutely my fault.' Article content While Zaun said that he was 'shocked' by the allegations, he also held himself accountable for letting things get too far. Article content Article content 'There are certain topics of conversation that don't belong in the workplace. And it's funny, the biggest mistake that I've made is thinking that because a lot of the conversations and exchanges were initiated by females in the workplace that they were somehow OK. That I was somehow justified in participating in those conversations. The tomfoolery, the hijinks. These allegations, they were shocking to me,' Zaun said. Article content Article content 'I was just having fun with willing participants. Yeah, the environment was inappropriate. It was my fault for letting it get as far as it did. I should have been classier and I definitely should be held to a higher level of accountability,' he added. Article content Article content Several anonymous Sportsnet employees previously told the Canadian Press that Zaun had made sexual comments 'with the clear intention of making us uncomfortable.' Article content During the podcast interview, Zaun said that the network pushed him to become a 'Manalyst,' which he described as the 'Don Cherry of baseball.' Article content 'Sportsnet created that 'Manalyst' guy. They wanted 'Don Cherry of baseball,' so I gave it to them,' Zaun said.
