ESPN fires talk show host for "joking" about assassinating Ted Kennedy

Mark Madden, who made his reputation with bold, outlandish attacks on famous people, has been permanently removed from the air by ESPN.

His dismissal, which came down from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., came five days after he made a scurrilous remark about U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on his 1250 ESPN talk show, which ran from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays.

"We've taken Mark off the air pursuant to our contractual rights," said Josh Krulewitz, the vice president for public relations at ESPN.

The decision comes less than a year after Madden signed a long-term contract. No decision has been made on who will fill Madden's time slot.

At the opening of his show last Wednesday, Madden said this about Sen. Kennedy, who days earlier had been diagnosed with brain cancer:

"I'm very disappointed to hear that Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is near death because of a brain tumor. I always hoped Senator Kennedy would live long enough to be assassinated.

"I wonder if he got a card from the Kopechnes."

At the urging of station general manager Mike Thompson, Madden apologized over the air for his remarks about two hours later.

After initially reviewing the situation on a local level, Madden was neither reprimanded nor suspended. When asked if there would be some form of punishment, Thompson said, `No. The fact is we took action right away. Frankly, it was a comment that was stupid. He admitted that. I don't think it requires any such thing as ."

ESPN had a change of heart, and it came from the corporate level in Bristol. Krulewitz explained the change of course

"We had a chance to regroup and review the situation and consider it more thoroughly from all perspectives," he said. "This is the decision we have made, and we feel it is the right one."

Madden was on the air Thursday but had not been heard on his show since his comments appeared in the Post-Gazette Friday.