A sports reporter is Nashville, Tennessee, said that he lost his anchor job after referencing several Prince lyrics during his spot as a tribute to the late musician.
Many people around the globe have been paying tribute to Prince ever since his untimely death on April 21. However, after WZTV Fox 17 sportscaster Dan Phillips creatively worked Prince lyrics into his on-air broadcast he lost his job.
The Tennessean first reported on the firing, but noted that Phillips would not confirm the reason he was let go from the station.
However, he posted to Facebook later to let everyone know that his dismissal was because management did not think his tribute was clever, but instead dubbed it as “insensitive.”
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for the kind words, comments and positive feedback on this tribute I did to Prince last week. It really means a lot," he wrote. "Unfortunately, there were apparently some viewers, as well as management at the station, who did not feel the same way. They felt I was insensitive. And as a result, I was terminated today.
"I'm choosing to use this as a catalyst for some exciting things I've been working on for some time now. I'll have many more details on this in coming days. For now, thanks again for all of your support. And if you need an old, washed-up sports guy for anything, please let me know!"
Phillips was with the station for 10 years before he was terminated.