Perhaps the most famous employee to receive a 6-month disciplinary suspension without pay, and who just happens to be a sports fan, has been offered an internship for this period. Will he accept it? Well, it is paid!
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In the midst of negotiations with the city, the minor league Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team in Connecticut has offered anchor Brian Williams a 6-month internship paying $500 per month during his suspension from NBC.
In a press release, Bluefish General Manager Jamie Toole said, “The Bluefish staff members are huge fans of Williams and are firm believers in second chances.”
Toole also stated, “Our thought is to get Brian’s assistance in writing game reports following any Bluefish losses. With his reporting style, we may even win a few of those games.”
According to the Connecticut Post, Mary-Jane Foster and husband Jack McGregor, cofounders of the Bluefish, also issued a statement, saying, “We are shocked and dismayed by the Bluefish management’s offer of a $500 media internship to Brian Williams. It is a cheap and tawdry joke offered only for publicity’s sake and cheapens the franchise we helped found and hold so dear.” Could this really be a publicity stunt? Well, the Bluefish did have beleaguered baseball retiree Peter Rose coach the team for one game last season.
Paying such an “intern” is a good idea, since the internship will not give Williams any college credits, nor will it give him training in skills he does not have. Also, the employer, rather than the intern, would be gaining all the advantages in the arrangement (especially in ticket sales to the curious or the starstruck).
You have to love the marketing moxie of so many of these minor league teams.