The Eagles Fire Cripples & Eat Babies!

[Rome]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/columnists/20090309_Gonzo___Cold_Eagles_sure_are_thin-skinned.html

Gonzo: Cold Eagles sure are thin-skinned

By John Gonzalez

Inquirer Columnist
It's not personal. It's business. That was the cold cop-out the Eagles used when Brian Dawkins signed with Denver. But you can't fully appreciate how heartless the organization actually is until you learn how it apparently treated Dan Leone.

For the last six years, Leone was one of the team's many game-day stadium employees at Lincoln Financial Field. For longer than that - for his entire life - he's been a fan of the franchise.

Leone grew up in the shadow of Veterans Stadium in a red-brick rowhouse near 10th and Oregon. As a kid, he'd walk over to see his beloved Birds play. The trip was never easy. Leone has a neurological disorder called transverse myelitis. Because it causes muscle fatigue and limits the range of motion in his limbs, Leone was sometimes forced to use crutches as a child.

When he grew older and the Linc opened, Leone crossed his fingers and filled out an application. The Eagles hired him almost immediately. He was ecstatic. Leone called his friends and family and gushed about going to work for the team he's always loved. He couldn't have been happier if he'd been named the Eagles' starting quarterback.

On game days, Leone served as the west gate chief. The gig required Leone to hustle to different areas of the stadium as needed. That was tough. His left leg is weaker than his right, and standing for too long gives him severe pain in his right knee and hip because that's where he shifts all his weight. While on duty, he sometimes needed a wheelchair to get around.

"They had me running all over the place like a nut, but I didn't care," Leone said. "I was so proud to work for them. It was my dream."

Last week, the Eagles fired Leone.

Like a lot of Philadelphians, Leone was upset when Dawkins became a Bronco. So he did what a 32-year-old does these days: He vented on Facebook. "Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"

It was a rash, stupid thing to do, and Leone regretted it almost instantly.

"I shouldn't have put it up there," Leone said. "I was ticked off, and I let my emotions go, but I didn't offend any one person or target a specific individual. I was just upset that we lost such a great guy. Dawkins was one of my favorite players. I made a mistake."

Less than two days after posting the Dawkins remarks, Leone said, he was contacted by Leonard Bonacci, the team's director of event operations. According to Leone, Bonacci said they needed to talk about Leone's Facebook page, and Leone agreed. Leone - who deleted the comment - figured that the two would sit down and that he could apologize to Bonacci in person. But Leone said Bonacci never got back to him after that.

Two days later, Leone said, he received a call from Rachel Vitagliano, the team's guest services manager. Leone said she fired him over the phone. The conversation lasted less than 10 minutes.

No warning. No suspension. No face-to-face meeting. Just a quick call to tell Leone he'd been terminated.

"I tried putting in my case to Rachel," Leone said. "I told her I worked there for six years. I did whatever they asked. I only missed one Eagles game the entire time I worked there, and that was because I'm a Mummer. I told her it was my dream to work for the Eagles and that I'd never do anything like that again."

Leone said Vitagliano didn't want to hear it. He said that she told him he couldn't be trusted, that the post made the team look bad, and that the only way to resolve the situation was to fire him.

"I apologized for it," Leone said. "I apologized 20 million times. I never bad-mouthed the organization before. I made one mistake and they terminate me? And they couldn't even bring me into the office to talk to me? They had to do it over the phone? At least look me in the eye. To get done dirty like this, I can't believe it. I'm devastated."

Messages left for Bonacci and Vitagliano weren't returned. Through a representative, the Eagles said, "The only information we can share is that Dan was a seasonal game-day employee and not a full-time member of the Eagles staff."

It's anyone's guess what that means. Perhaps the franchise thinks hourly-wage workers are disposable and, therefore, don't deserve consideration. At the very least, it appears the Birds don't think workers like Leone deserve a second chance.

The truly remarkable part about all this is that Leone isn't bitter, and he doesn't want revenge. He simply wants to be part of the team again.

"If they called me right now and told me to come back to work, I would," Leone said. "I'm not holding any grudges. I just want to do my job."

The way the Eagles appeared to have treated Leone seems so cruel and merciless, and they should be ashamed of themselves for it. Then again, how can you feel shame when you don't feel anything at all?

[Seabiscuit36]

holy shtein, fired for that. 

[ice grillin you]

id like to say incredible but its par for the course with these people

[paco]

holy shtein, fired for that. 

Yet people on the eagles site can't grasp why Dave doesnt critizie the team more.

[ice grillin you]

holy shtein, fired for that. 

Yet people on the eagles site can't grasp why Dave doesnt critizie the team more.

dave doesnt not criticize the team he suckles at their scrotum on a daily basis...and he does it with equal pretentiousness...hes one of them...otherwise he wouldnt work for these people as long as he has and basically be their whore for all these years...unless he is just a talentless hack who couldnt find work anywhere else...but by all accounts the eagles website is one of the best so i dont think thats the case....hes just a corksucking ahole like the rest of them

[rjs246]

Cocks.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Terrible.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Wow.

[hunt]

don't care

[phattymatty]

the dmv is always hiring. 

[SD_Eagle5]

munson should apply for his old job, it'd be a step up from Ravens beer man

[Feva]

On game days, Leone served as the west gate chief. The gig required Leone to hustle to different areas of the stadium as needed.

He's definitely got a good enough 40 time to do the job.

[ice grillin you]

the crip is gonna be on wip tomorrow morning 7:30

[PhillyGirl]

I've seen him at the games a bunch of times.

As much as I despise the Eagles FO, I will say this much...if my boss caught me typing that on Facebook (about my company), I'd have been fired too. As a full time employee, yet...not just a seasonal guy.

Forget that he's in a wheelchair...that should have no bearing on this whatsoever except for sympathy votes. He SHOULD be treated like any other seasonal employee and that offense is worthy of being fired. You slammed your employer big time on the internet and got caught. Period.

But the Eagles' FO can still kiss my ass. I hate them all.

[ice grillin you]

youve never disagreed with a decision a superior made at work and challenged them on it?...theres also this little thing called free speech...unless he signed some sort of agreement prior to being hired that forbid criticizing the organization he shoudlnt be fired....its cowardly and embarrassing...the chicken shtein guy who first saw it on his facebook running and telling on him should be fired for douchebaggery