Dan Le Batard is known for speaking his mind, and this week he unloaded on the Miami Herald over the firing of longtime columnist Greg Cote. The former ESPN star didn't mince words, calling the newspaper's decision "immoral" and "beyond cold."
McClatchy, the parent company of the Miami Herald, cut Cote as part of a round of 30 layoffs, ending a 54-year run at the paper. Le Batard's wife, Valerie, captured the moment on video, showing the radio host screaming obscenities off-camera after learning Cote was let go on his birthday.
On his Tuesday show, Le Batard sat down with Cote to discuss the shocking news. He lamented the state of journalism, saying the industry is "under assault" by corporations that prioritize profit over the public good. "Now the most corrupt of cities doesn't have a newspaper to fight against that corruption," Le Batard said. "Greg Cote didn't do much of that fighting. He worked in the toy department, but he did so with grace for 54 years. And at the end, the way they got rid of him was beyond cold. It was wrong the way it was done, immoral, with no thought to what a company owes someone who has given more than 50 years of service to it."
Le Batard placed the blame squarely on McClatchy, which has now cut more than 90 journalists across at least 13 newspapers. The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, which represents workers at some of those papers, accused the company of choosing "short-term profits for a hedge fund" over the communities they serve.
"He will not say it. I will say it on his behalf. It's not the Miami Herald's fault. It's the fault of everything that happens in this country that makes it so the hedge funds have to make their profit margins wherever they are," Le Batard said. "It does not matter what gets trampled. In journalism, editorial has to be separate from the money. Otherwise none of it works. Greg Cote's gone now, and the career ending is sh*t. The punctuation is sh*t."
Cote, who has been a beloved figure in Miami sports media for decades, described the past few days as an "emotional roller coaster." He'll officially leave the paper next week, with his final column set to run in 10 days.
"I'm still processing it, honestly," Cote said. "It's 10 more days. Ten days from today will be my last day. I'll have a farewell column and all that stuff, and then it'll be over. And then the next chapter begins, which I look forward to."
The news has sparked outrage among fans and colleagues, many of whom see Cote's dismissal as a symptom of a broken media landscape. Le Batard's comments echo a growing frustration with corporate decisions that seem to disregard human impact. Meanwhile, Miami sports fans are already mourning the loss of a familiar voice, even as the city celebrates new stars like Malachi Toney.
For Le Batard, the issue isn't just about one columnist—it's about the future of journalism. As he put it, "It does not matter what gets trampled." And for now, that trampling has claimed a Miami institution.
