Radio host suspended after ‘unwelcome kiss’

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia sports radio host Howard Eskin has been suspended from Phillies home games for the rest of the season after investigations by his employer showed he kissed a worker for Citizens Bank Park’s food service provider without consent.

Audacy, the parent company for Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94WIP, said in a statement it learned of the “unwelcome kiss” of the Aramark employee by Eskin and “immediately investigated,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.

Aramark is a food service provider for Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Phillies.

The Phillies and Aramark issued their own statements on the matter.

“We cooperated with our partners at Audacy and Aramark on their investigations,” the club said in a statement, adding that it takes the allegations seriously. “We support Audacy’s decision to suspend Howard Eskin from Citizens Bank Park.”

Aramark said in a statement that its investigation corroborated the allegations.

“We then worked with Audacy and the Phillies to ensure that appropriate steps were taken to protect our employee and all of the Aramark employees at Citizens Bank Park,” Aramark said.

Audacy and Eskin didn’t immediately reply to messages from The Associated Press.

Eskin, who is from Philadelphia, is a media celebrity in the city’s sports market. He helped launch SportsRadio 94WIP’s first sports talk show in 1986 and remains a mainstay of the station and sports TV.