ESPN analyst calls Newark a dump....problem is?

Sports: It is Newark for crying out loud, how can Melrose get in trouble for speaking the truth? I can't stand sport projects that are built to revitalize a downtown area because for the most part they never work if the area is really down. Your city sucks, deal with it instead of picking on an ESPN hockey guy.

A hockey analyst for ESPN has apologized for describing the area around the new $375 million Prudential Center in Newark as "awful" and unsafe during a webcast last week. Barry Melrose, the network's lead ice hockey analyst, angered city officials and the Devils owner by saying of the new arena, "It looks great on the inside but don't go outside, especially if you got a wallet or anything else because the area around the building is awful." "It's so different the inside and the outside where its built, it's pretty humorous," said Melrose, a former NHL player and coach. Those comments drew a rebuke today from Mayor Cory Booker, City Council President Mildred Crump, Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek and Newark police director Garry McCarthy.