The towing company at the center of a viral video showing ESPN reporter Britt McHenry’s profanity-laden tirade against one of its workers said Friday they have no desire to see McHenry lose her job.
"Parking enforcement is contentious by nature. At the same time, neither Gina, our lot clerk, nor our company, have any interest in seeing Britt McHenry suspended or terminated as a result of her comments," Advanced Towing Company, located in Arlington, Virginia, said in a statement.
"Ms. McHenry is our neighbor, and, as she said, to paraphrase, made remarks that were out of line. She is human and errors in judgement (sic) can be made in the heat of the moment," the towing company said.
McHenry was suspended for a week, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said Thursday after the video was posted on the website LiveLeak and quickly made the rounds. The video, which was edited, shows McHenry insulting the physical appearance and intelligence of the clerk after her car was towed.
"It makes my skin crawl even being here," McHenry tells the unseen person behind the desk. "Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh? Cause they look so stunning."
"I'm on television and you're in a f***ing trailer, honey," she adds. The video ends with McHenry suggesting that the employee "lose some weight, baby girl."
McHenry apologized on Twitter Thursday after the video became public. "In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and said some insulting and regrettable things," she said.
Advanced Towing Company said in their statement they released the video "to highlight personal attacks employees in jobs like towing, public parking enforcement and others sometimes encounter."
The statement said that the clerk, identified as Gina, is a single mother of three who "holds no ill will toward Ms. McHenry."