Pardon the Interruption? How about pardon the unjust insinuation? Watch as ESPN’s Jason Whitlock needs only six seconds to put his foot in his mouth while guesting on “Pardon the Interruption” on Friday.



“Plus, she’s playing her sister next,” Whitlock says. “I think Richard will make the call on that and she’ll get a cakewalk into the next [round].”

The notion is so ludicrous, we probably shouldn’t even have brought it to your attention, but we found it newsworthy that someone employed in television could get away with slandering the reputations of two of the greatest tennis champions that America has ever known.

Even if Whitlock was trying to be funny, he should know better. Elena Dementieva tried to be funny in 2001 at Indian Wells when she said that Richard will decide who will win the semifinal between Serena and Venus, and tennis fans looked on a few days later when Serena was booed after she won the title in her home state.

In short: It’d be nice if we could avoid going into the unfounded, unjustified, slanderous, hateful rumor department again, if at all possible.

Venus and Serena will meet on Monday at Wimbledon. We suggest you watch that match and skip PTI.