Legendary Baltimore Orioles pitcher and current MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer was reportedly accused of racial discrimination against a Black colleague, O’s Xtra host Rob Long, according to a 2022 memo obtained by the Daily Mail last week.
Per the memo, Palmer was accused of “inappropriate, unprofessional, offensive conduct, that negatively impacted another individual who works on Orioles broadcasts,” during an April 2022 broadcast of the Orioles pregame show. The Daily Mail subsequently obtained text messages, purportedly from Palmer’s wife, Susan, suggesting the allegations were racial in nature.
“They thought palmer [sic] would fall on the sword to protect the O’s from a racially charged lawsuit,” the wife’s text message reads. “Sign this memo that you’re this horrible person after being part of the O’s team for almost 60 years because we don’t want to be sued by the black man who wants you fired,” Susan Palmer’s text messages continued.
When reached by the Daily Mail, Long asserted that he did not make any such complaint in 2022 and that “Jim is my friend.”
The memo and text messages were obtained through Palmer’s former business partner, Warren Holmes, a celebrity hairdresser who is currently embroiled in multiple lawsuits against the Palmers. Holmes and Susan Palmer seemingly had a “flirty” relationship, which looks to have made her comfortable confiding sensitive information about the MASN discrimination incident.
The relationship soured when Jim Palmer sued Holmes in 2023, alleging the hairdresser defrauded him and defaulted on a $1 million loan for Holmes’ line of haircare products. Holmes then filed a $20 million counterclaim earlier this year, alleging the Palmers “threatened to dismember and kill him.”
Holmes’ lawsuit claims that Palmer was suspended by MASN in April 2025 as a result of the alleged discrimination incident, though the network never publicly announced any disciplinary action. Palmer, 80, already calls a limited schedule of Orioles games, so any “suspension” could’ve easily gone unnoticed.
When asked for comment, an Orioles spokesperson told Awful Announcing, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on personnel matters.”
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.