Fact of the matter, she probably is…

from www.cnn.com – ESPN has fired an announcer who sat out the Fiesta Bowl after he allegedly made an insulting comment to a sideline colleague.

“Based on what occurred last week, we have ended our relationship” with announcer Ron Franklin, ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Tuesday night in an e-mail. He would not elaborate on the decision.

Franklin apologized Monday for the incident, which involved Jeannine Edwards [pictured] and occurred Friday during a production meeting before the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

“I said some things I shouldn’t have and am sorry,” Franklin said in a statement released by the network. “I deserved to be taken off the Fiesta Bowl.”

The Fiesta Bowl was Saturday.

Edwards told USA Today in an e-mail that she was in a conversation with another colleague when Franklin told her, “Listen to me, sweet baby, let me tell you something … ”

Edwards wrote she told Franklin not to address her like that. According to Edwards, Franklin responded: “OK, then listen to me, a–hole.”

According to SportsbyBrooks, ESPN wanted to pull Franklin from the Chick-fil-A Bowl Friday night but didn’t have time.

CNN tried to reach Edwards by phone Tuesday and left an e-mail message.

ESPN would not get into details of the incident involving Franklin, who had been with the network since 1987.

“We made a late play-by-play change to the Fiesta Bowl radio team,” it said in an earlier statement. “We’re not going to get into specifics other than to say adhering to our personal conduct policies and showing respect for colleagues are of the utmost importance to our company and we take them extremely seriously.”