After an alleged fight over a chair the resulted in Mario Impemba having a rear-naked choke applied to him by broadcast partner Rod Allen, the Tigers have decided to go with a different announcing team in 2019.
The news of the Tigers’ decision to replace Impemba and Allen next season was reported by Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press who cited ‘multiple sources close to the situation’.
Impemba and Allen were substituted for the rest of the regular season after an altercation at a September 4th game in Chicago against the White Sox. According to reports, the two had a heated argument over a chair that boiled over after the game eventually leading to a physical confrontation between the two which included Allen putting Impemba in a choke hold.
Allen’s agent however denied that this was not the case.
Sources told The Athletic’s Katie Strang in September that there had been tension between Impemba and Allen during the course of the season in 2018. This also seemed to be the case prior in which Fox Sports Detroit had to address growing hostilities between the duo that ultimately could have been the reason why FSD decided to bring aboard Jack Morris and Kirk Gibson. However nothing between the two got to the point of what happened in early September of this year.
The duo had a lengthy working relationship with the organization. Impemba joined the Tigers broadcast team back in 2002 with Allen coming aboard the following season.
At this point unclear who’ll replace the two or if Matt Shepard or Gibson are being considered after filling in for the remainder of 2018.
