Rômulo Mendonça speaks out after being removed from NBA broadcast

Narrator Rômulo Mendonça and commentator Ricardo Bulgarelli spoke out after being suspended by Amazon Prime Video from the broadcast of Game 5 of the NBA final between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, played this Saturday (13).

The duo was removed from coverage after mocking a publication by reporter Alana Ambrosio, a teammate at the station, during an episode of the Jararacas podcast. The match could define the champion of the season, as the Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and need just one more victory to win the title.

In a note published on social media, Mendonça and Bulgarelli stated that they were informed of the suspension on Friday (12), while the company investigated an incident related to the program.

"Some points to consider: the parody was made in Tuesday's episode. We had the most extraordinary broadcast of our lives on Wednesday. There was another episode of the podcast on Thursday. And we were informed on Friday by the company that we would stay out while an incident was being investigated," they said.

According to the duo, Amazon later informed them of the reason for the investigation and requested an apology, which would be made in the next episode of Jararacas.

"Subsequently, we were informed what the incident was and were asked to apologize, which we agreed to do in the next episode of Jararacas - our independent podcast, where the parody took place", they added.

The two also stated that they will maintain the style of humor adopted on the program.

"About the humor we do at Jararacas, it will continue. We are always making satire, parodies and jokes with everyone, whether athletes, politicians or even journalists. For those who think the parody happened out of 'envy' or 'machismo', that's definitely not it."

The note ends by highlighting the duo's relationship with sport.

"Furthermore, it is worth remembering that everything we do for basketball, we do for love. We are extremely passionate about the sport and our profession."

What happened
The controversy arose from Rômulo Mendonça's participation in the Jararacas Podcast, shown on YouTube. During the conversation, the narrator ironically reproduced excerpts from a video published by Alana Ambrosio on her social networks.

In the original recording, the journalist recalls the first time she attended an NBA match, in New York, in 2015. She also shares a difficult moment in her personal life and recounts the emotion of returning to the city years later, now working professionally covering the league.

"I sometimes can't believe I'm here. The first time I saw a basketball game was here, in New York, in 2015 (...). At the time, I had lost two very important people to me", said Alana in the video.

When commenting on the publication on the podcast, Mendonça made a parody of the story.

"The first time I saw a basketball game was about 10 years ago. At the time, I had lost two very important people in my life. Then I found it. One was drunk, in the gutter, and the other was taking drugs", he said.

In the sequence, the narrator also ironized the format of the recording made by the reporter, recorded in a hotel room during coverage of the finals.

"Journalism from a hotel bed, a new modality", he said.

Ricardo Bulgarelli participated in the conversation and reacted to the comments during the live broadcast.

The episode generated repercussions on social media and discomfort among professionals involved in covering the NBA. Faced with the negative reaction, Amazon decided to temporarily remove Mendonça and Bulgarelli from broadcasts while it conducts an internal investigation into the case.

Source: CNN