Former NBA player Kendall Gill has been suspended and removed from his on air duties with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago after getting into a physical altercation with his colleague.
Chicago Business columnist Danny Ecker is reporting that Gill who is a Bulls analyst punched Big Ten Network analyst Tim Doyle in the Newsroom Tuesday night.
Ecker was present when the altercation took place after a round table panel sports discussion including him, Tim Doyle, and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Herb Gould.
The incident followed the taping of “Sports Talk Live,” a panel discussion on Comcast SportsNet Chicago that featured me, Mr. Doyle and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Herb Gould. Mr. Gill confronted Mr. Doyle in the newsroom over critical comments he had made on the air about Mr. Gill’s analysis of the controversial final moments of Monday’s Chicago Bulls-Denver Nuggets game. The referees ruled that what at first appeared to be a last-second basket by the Bulls would not be allowed, thus giving the win to the Nuggets.
The altercation happened right in front of me as Mr. Doyle and I were walking through the CSN newsroom on our way out of the building.
Mr. Gill approached Mr. Doyle and called him out for his comments, which escalated to a shoving match and ultimately Mr. Gill throwing a punch at Mr. Doyle. The two bumped up against a sign on the wall and a small amount of blood was drawn (though it was unclear exactly how) before the two were separated.
CSN Chicago News Director Kevin Cross released a statement on the matter.
“We’re looking further into the incident that took place in our newsroom earlier today,” said CSN Chicago news director Kevin Cross in a statement late last night. “Until the investigation is complete, Kendall Gill will not be appearing on our air.”
After Monday night’s game, Kendall Gill said on the air that the call of basket interference against Bulls center Joakim Noah with 1.7 seconds left in overtime “was a very bad call on the officials’ part.”
Tim Doyle, who is a frequent guest on the show, refuted Gills opinion on air Tuesday evening. The two also were reportedly debating the topic before the round table sports panel went live.
Gill is a former University of Illinois basketball star, and 15 year NBA vet.