N.Y. Post Fires Writer

The New York Post on Wednesday fired sports columnist Wallace Matthews for his Internet posting of a column that criticized the paper for its reporting of a rumor about Met star Mike Piazza.

The column--written in response to an item by Post gossip columnist Neal Travis that said “there is a persistent rumor around town that one Mets star who spends a lot of time with pretty models in clubs is actually gay and has started to think about declaring his sexual orientation”--was held from the paper’s Wednesday edition. According to Post editors, the paper was going to run a revised column today, but instead fired Matthews after discovering the original version posted on SportsJournalists.com with a note questioning the Post’s integrity and fortitude.

Matthews, who also read his column on ESPN Radio, said he told the paper, “I was done writing for them.”