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| Mike Shumann |
Until now.
415 Media has learned, through multiple sources aware of the situation, that former sports anchor, Mike Shumann, is "highly considering" legal action against KGO-TV, the ABC local station which essentially fired him back in April following an alleged theft incident with the Warriors that ultimately spelled his doom.
Shumann was caught on video in San Antonio at the end of a team practice that shows him taking a jacket and then walking away --its images with various shots of Shumann looking around the scene and then leaving an almost empty arena with jacket in hand.
Shumann denied the story outright and said the whole thing was "a total misunderstanding."
I concurred.
In fact, the whole bizarre drama had almost the entire KGO newsroom in a total daze because Shumann, a 24-year employee at the station, had never been in any sort of trouble nor was he ever accused of something so damaging or seemingly out of character like this incident in San Antonio where he was immediately sent home by KGO with the Warriors' organization approval.
It turns out there's a more recent explanation.
Shumann, according to 415 Media sources, told both KGO brass and Warriors' team officials:
he took the jacket when he left the practice because there were no other Warriors' personnel present and he grabbed the thing because he wanted to return it to the security guy (really, Steph Curry's main security guard) to whom it belonged. But when Shumann went under the stands to find him, the guy wasn't around. So Shumann took it back with him to the hotel, with the intention to give the jacket to the guy the next time he saw him -- at the game.
But within hours and before Shumann was able to convey what really took place, the video of him "stealing" the jacket went viral and that Warriors' players seeing the video had immediately wanted him out. Soon, he was sent home from San Antonio and not so long after was taken off the Warriors' beat leading eventually to his leaving KGO in a mutually agreed-upon decision.Only now it's learned the decision was rushed up and that Shumann denied any wrongdoing and feels he was thrown to the wolves. And even though his tenure at KGO was clean and that he had a solid relationship with Bay Area sports teams he was nevertheless sent packing.
KGO officials didn't buy his excuse and worrying about a backlash with a key sports client; a partner that directly provides the station with millions of dollars of revenue and national exposure; KGO quickly disposed of Shumann.
Now it appears Shumann is headed to court and has lawyered up.*415MEDIA EXCLUSIVE
