Erin Andrews says ESPN forced her to talk about her stalker on TV

Sportscaster and former Dancing With the Stars co-host Erin Andrews is currently testifying in her $75 million lawsuit against the Nashville hotel where she was videotaped in the nude by stalker Michael David Barrett. Barrett made the recording through the room’s peephole, posted the video to the internet, and was later arrested and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

During her emotional testimony, Andrews revealed that her former employer, ESPN, forced her to do an interview about what happened before she could go back to work.

Andrews said that, at first, many accused her of orchestrating the video for publicity. “Probably for like three months, everybody thought it was a publicity stunt,” she said. “The front page of the New York Post said ‘ESPN Scandal.’ To Fox News and CBS, everybody put up that I was doing it for publicity and attention, and that ripped me apart.”

Then, Andrews revealed that ESPN demanded that she have a sit-down interview on air to discuss what happened. Andrews made it clear that this was something she did not want to do:

Q: So did ESPN require that you give an interview?

Yes. Because there wasn’t an arrest, because we didn’t know where this happened, my bosses at ESPN told me, “before you go back on air for college football we need you to give a sit-down interview.” And that was the only way I was going to be allowed back.

Q: Now, you did have the right to select who that interview would be done by, right?

I did. They were highly recommending it be GMA [Good Morning America], because ESPN and ABC are the same, and they wanted it on GMA. But like my dad had said the other day, I didn’t want it to be a two second thing where it’s like, “Was this a scandal, or, was it not?” No, this is my life, and I feel terrible about myself, and we want to figure out how this happened. So, I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to be a part of it, and I just said, you know what, “I know because she’s very public about it, Oprah is a crime victim.” I talked to her producers, I told her I didn’t want to do it. But this was the only way I was going to be put back on air, so we went to the Oprah show.

Andrews’ lawsuit claims that Marriott workers helped facilitate Barrett’s videotaping by revealing that she was a guest at the Nashville hotel, disclosing her room number, and agreeing to Barrett’s request that he be placed in the room next door to her.

Andrews is back on the stand today as the trial continues. Deadspin reached out to ESPN, but a spokesperson with the network “respectfully” declined comment.