Britt McHenry is out as a State Department press adviser after video footage showed the former ESPN reporter throwing a drink at a fan during the Washington Wizards’ 128-116 home-opening win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
TMZ published the footage Thursday, which showed McHenry leaving her section to a chorus of boos while blowing kisses. By Friday afternoon, Front Office Sports reported she was no longer in the role, but sports journalist Kelsey Nicole Nelson had a pointed question about how the night at Capital One Arena ended.
Kelsey Nicole Nelson Questions Why Britt McHenry Was Allowed to Leave
Nelson weighed in after word of McHenry’s departure broke, opening with her view of the controversy. “The entire situation at Capital One Arena in DC during the Washington Wizards game with Britt McHenry is so bothersome,” she wrote.
Nelson’s sharpest observation was about how McHenry got out of the building: “She was allowed to walk out after throwing a drink in someone’s face in public? But at least now there’s a repercussion.”
McHenry was an NFL reporter for ESPN from 2014-2017 and a commentator for Fox News from 2018 until 2021. She joined President Donald Trump’s State Department in September this year.
Sources close to McHenry told TMZ that people seated behind her and her male guest made inappropriate comments about Winnie Harlow, Kyle Kuzma’s fiancée, prompting McHenry to respond.
TMZ’s report also mentioned that the group said misogynistic things to McHenry to provoke her, with objects being tossed at the former ESPN correspondent. While mentioning that they did not remember exactly what led McHenry to throw the drink, they described it as part of the confrontation.
The part Nelson questioned, how McHenry’s night ended, is where the reporting varies. TMZ described the ex-ESPN reporter as being escorted out of the game, with several people tossing rally towels her way as she headed through the stands.
McHenry was later caught on camera arguing with a security guard who was directing her to leave the building. As the guard gestured toward the exit, McHenry looked stunned and asked, “What did I do?” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Page Six was first to report McHenry’s departure from the State Department, and McHenry told Front Office Sports that she signed a resignation letter. A State Department spokesperson told the outlet the agency does not comment on internal personnel matters.
For now, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wizards and operates Capital One Arena, is yet to respond to a request for comment from the Los Angeles Times.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.