Marly Rivera, a former ESPN reporter, rose to prominence after joining the network in 2011.
Fans are now curious about her as she prepares to embark on a new adventure away from The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications.
Who is former ESPN reporter Marly Rivera?
Marly Rivera is a bilingual sportswriter and reporter who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 14, 1973.
She began her sports career as an editorial producer for Major League Baseball and later worked as a freelancer and for Univision before joining ESPN in 2011.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as a baseball writer for ESPN.com, an analyst on ESPN Radio, and frequently covered the famous Home Run Derby game while at the sports media outlet.
Outside of her career, little is known about her personal life because she avoids the spotlight and social media.
What happened between Marly Rivera and Ivon Gaete?
Rivera had been with ESPN for over 11 years when she was fired on April 26, 2023, following a disagreement with fellow reporter Ivon Gaete.
The incident occurred the week before at Yankee Stadium, prior to the start of the Yankees-Angels game, and was the result of an interview with Aaron Judge.
Rivera reportedly scheduled a meeting with the Yankees captain, but Gaete, who was reporting for Tokyo Broadcasting at the time, ignored the meeting and went on to try to get her own time with the MLB star, according to the New York Post.
In the heat of the moment, Rivera referred to Gaete as a “f***ing c***,” and the incident was captured on video.
Rivera tried to apologize but it was “rebuffed by Gaete,” The Post reports.
The incident ultimately led to her firing, but Rivera believes that the decision to let her go goes deeper than that.
“I fully accept responsibility for what I said, which I should not have,” Rivera told The Post.
“There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions. I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements.”
Rivera went on to say that she and John Blundell, the MLB vice president of communications and Gaete’s husband, have had numerous disagreements over the years, which she believes contributed to the incident blowing up the way it did.
It is unclear whether Rivera’s accusations are true at this time because Blundell declined to comment when reached by The Post.
The US Sun contacted Gaete for comment but did not receive a response before publishing.
Gaete is frequently found at home with her family when she is not covering sporting events.
Blundell is her husband, and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
Blundell has been with the MLB for over 25 years and is the league’s vice president of communications.
Additional details about Blundell’s personal life are unknown at this time because he avoids the spotlight and social media.
