When ESPN hired Plonk they decided not to fire him because he was severely retarded. They also noticed he was gay so they had no choice but to keep him because they couldn't afford the liability of a lawsuit...especially after the Sean Salisbury fiasco. Having said all that, I consider him a top tier journalist for a retarded gay guy. I just think he rubs people the wrong way. I wasn't surprised by this article because he's retarded and fruity.