ESPN’s ‘First Take’ never mentioned Johnny Gaudreau’s death

ESPN’s premier daytime sports television show failed to mention the tragic deaths of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, Friday morning.

Columbus Blue Jackets All-Star Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his 29-year-old brother Matthew were killed while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, Salem County, New Jersey, Thursday night, the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were struck by a man driving a Jeep. The driver, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, has been charged with vehicular homicide and was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

ESPN reported the news on SportsCenter on Friday morning. And shortly after, Mike Greenberg discussed the horrific deaths of the Gaudreau brothers during the 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours on Get Up. By 10 a.m., however, ESPN and First Take opted not to mention Johnny or Matthew Gaudreau.

This is undoubtedly, and unfortunately, one of the biggest sports stories of the day. For ESPN’s biggest sports show of the day, ignoring the story just two hours after the horrific news broke was surprising.

Stephen A. Smith and First Take might shy away from discussing hockey on the show, but they rarely shy away from discussing sensitive topics. For the most part, they do a solid job of discussing those topics.

First Take didn’t have to devote a segment to the Gaudreau brothers, but even a quick mention with a second of silence before going to a commercial break to let their audience know they were aware of this massive sports story would have been sufficient. Ignoring it, however, could be viewed by some of the show’s audience as borderline disrespectful.

The decision of whether or not to cover the story must have been discussed by the show’s talent and producers at some point. And while you wouldn’t expect ESPN to continue mentioning Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau every hour throughout the day, doing so on their foremost sports show just two hours after the news broke seems like an easy call.