DETROIT – The 16-year run of Detroit Tigers television broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen is reportedly in serious jeopardy.
Sources told Local 4 that Allen attacked Impemba following Tuesday night's broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit.
UPDATE: Allen and Impemba not scheduled for any more Tigers telecasts this season
On Wednesday, Matt Shepherd and Kirk Gibson called the Tigers game.
Sources told Local 4 that Impemba left the broadcast booth at some point and Allen followed, assaulting Impemba from behind and choking him.
The altercation was because of a disagreement over a chair in the booth, sources told Local 4.
Viewers might not have noticed anything unusual during the game, but listening back to the broadcast, there are several long silences later in the game, including a 43-second stretch without talking in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Tom Shaer, Allen's agent, called the allegations false and released the following statement to WDIV regarding the incident:
"We have not commented because Fox Sports Detroit is handling this professionally and thoroughly. But these ridiculous, blatantly false descriptions require me to speak the truth and say they are utter fabrications. Nobody followed anybody, there was no contact from behind, and a "choke hold" is a shamefully untrue way to describe anything which occurred in that very brief altercation.
Anonymous fabrications by others do injustice to the very concepts of fairness and professionalism. Those who give such gross untruths to media should be ashamed of themselves."
Allen is partially known for a bizarre fight while playing Japanese baseball. He chased a pitcher across the entire field after being hit in a game.