BLINDSIDED: Former Jet Hugh Douglas (left) allegedly unleashed racial epithets at ESPN co-host Michael Smith during a drunken rage at a black journalists convention. (
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ESPN host and former Jets defensive star Hugh Douglas hit a co-host below the belt in a drunken tirade at a Florida bar — calling him “Uncle Tom’’ and a “house n—-r,’’ sources said.
The hulking Douglas, 41, spit the slurs at “Numbers Never Lie’’ colleague Michael Smith after the boozed-up Douglas made a move to the deejay’s microphone at the House of Blues on Friday in Orlando, and Smith tried to stop Douglas from embarrassing himself, according to the Web site Deadspin.
The 6-foot-2, 280-pound Douglas was trying to get up on the stage when the bespectacled Smith told him to cut it out, sources said.
Douglas, a former defensive end, responded by allegedly threatening to flatten Smith — three times.
The former grid star then grabbed Smith’s arm and hurled the racial slurs at him, sources told the sports site TheBigLead.
It was “very ugly,’’ one source said.
Security and pals separated the pair, who are both black, before they came to blows.
Douglas — who was once famously appointed a “goodwill ambassador’’ for the Philadelphia Eagles, only to rename himself a “badassador’’ and get in a fight with star player Terrell Owens — had already been apparently simmering over a confrontation the previous night at a National Association of Black Journalists convention.
Smith and third “NNL” co-host Jemele Hill — who are close friends — had been talking to a couple hundred association members at a hotel about the pair’s online podcast, “His and Hers with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill’’ when Douglas showed up looking for a piece of the action, Deadspin said.
The boozed-up ex-jock, already jealous of his journalist co-hosts’ friendship and feeling threatened by a recent ESPN hire, tried to grab the mike to talk, too, sources said.
Hill managed to thwart his efforts, which left him fuming, they said.
After Friday’s dust-up, Douglas has yet to return to the air on “NNL.’’
ESPN issued a statement yesterday saying, “We are aware there was a disagreement between Hugh Douglas and Michael Smith on Friday. We are looking into the situation.”
Douglas has declined to comment.
The incident comes after a video surfaced last week of white Eagles player Riley Cooper hurling a racial epithet at a black security guard at a Kenny Chesney concert in June.
The guard wouldn’t let Cooper backstage.
Cooper was put on leave, but returned to the team’s training camp yesterday.
After Cooper’s comments and ensuing apology, Douglas tweeted: “S/O to Riley Cooper.. For keepin it 100.. At least now we know.’’
Douglas was the Jets’ first-round draft choice in 1995 and was named “Defensive Rookie of the Year’’ that season by The Associated Press.
The Ohio native later played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Eagles.
He retired in 2004 and has since carved out a career as an on-air TV and radio sports commentator.
He joined ESPN as a full-time commentator in 2012.