Martin Lemay was not at the helm of 'On jase' this lunchtime

A word of warning! You’re about to read an article that makes a lot of sense – to use an expression that’s been somewhat overused in recent months – and that will make you want to say: “I really think like you, Max”. Be careful, though, liking or sharing this article could get you into trouble. Unfortunately, that’s how it is in 2024.

Yesterday, BPM Sports decided to suspend Martin Lemay indefinitely for comments he made on air on Tuesday PM. As a result, Martin was no longer at the helm of his show Le Retour des Sportifs; it was Greg Lanctot who hosted the comeback show in Martin Lemay’s chair.

Nor was Martin Lemay co-hosting the On jase podcast (RDS) at lunchtime. His regular contributor André Roy was in his computer graphics chair. Yanick Lévesque was quick to mention at the start of the show that Martin had taken a day off following his hectic last few hours.

There would be no question of suspension at/by RDS, but rather a simple rest for someone who has never been afraid to say how important mental health is.

If I connect the dots, it’s a safe bet that Martin Lemay won’t be on BPM Sports at 3 p.m. today either.

My humble opinion (for what it’s worth)
I may be getting a little wet here, but you know me: I’ve never been afraid of water. Even when it’s boiling…

Martin Lemay’s suspension hurts everyone. And it makes everyone look bad.

1. Martin Lemay made a bad joke that we can ‘ t/mustn ‘t afford to make again in 2024. His reputation will forever be tarnished by this bad on-air outing… and by the consequences that have followed since.

2. BPM Sports is seen by the vast majority of its listeners – check out the comments on social networks – as a station that punished one of its (publicly loved) employees too harshly.

3. CF Montréal, in the eyes of many, looks like a company that wants the head of someone who speaks ill of it.

This is what emerges when the public is polled.

Except that the reality should – or could – have been quite different, in my opinion. I would have written this story quite differently if I’d been in one of the decision-making chairs.

Martin Lemay made a (very) bad joke, but he takes full responsibility for it. Even if some people say there’s nothing there, it was a mistake on the part of the star host of BPM Sports. The letter of apology he published yesterday was honest, and no one who has known or worked with him doubts that there was no real racist hint behind it.

The station had to react… and it did. One wonders, however, whether simply asking Martin Lemay to apologize on air and on social networks would have been enough. I think it would have.

Montreal CF, we agree, has every right to be hurt by such a public outing. From the top to the bottom of the organization. But from what I’m told, the Montreal CF would never have demanded anything; someone would have only expressed their displeasure to their business partner, that’s it. #CEstNormal

And what about RDS, which seems to be stuck with a hot potato from elsewhere!?

In short, pretty much everyone is currently at the heart of a story that’s tainting everyone and hurting each of the parties involved. What’s more, both BPM Sports and the Montreal CF already had enough important matters to deal with this week…

I know it’s 2024 and that the cancel culture implanted in our society is unfortunately limitless…

But did we really need to pull out the “nuclear weapon ” for a mistake made by a guy who’s on the air four hours a day, every day of the week? The guy made a mistake, his first in several years in the business: did he really deserve to be suspended indefinitely?

I’ll go even further: does he deserve to lose his job over this? Do we still have the right to forgiveness after a first offence in our society? I’m seriously asking…

Right now, everything suggests that he’ll eventually be back at BPM Sports AND RDS, but frankly, this story has already gone too far. Someone made a mistake, he took responsibility and quickly apologized: can we move on?

Especially since he didn’t try to pretend the next day that he had nothing to be ashamed of, like you-know-who in front of a tree…