It has been reported that emails threatening the life of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews surfaced this week and were brought to the attention of the FBI.TMZ.com initially broke the story about the emails, some of which dated back to September 2009.

They were sent to the Dan Patrick radio program and characterized as sexual in nature. Lately the messages became threatening and specific. That is when the federal authorities were notified.

SportsbyBrooks.com reported that Directv, which simulcasts the radio program on its Channel 101 was being criticized by Andrews’ attorney Marshall Grossman for failing to alert him when the messages were first received.

Brook’s discussion with a Directv source made it clear that the emails weren’t even reviewed until this week, which Brooks claims is not unusual for a national show that gets buried in mail. There was no delay once they were discovered.

Grossman told media his client is “having a rough time” and ABC which broadcasts Dancing With the Stars has added to its security for Andrews.

Andrews was victimized by Michael David Barrett, a stalker who followed her while she traveled on business, checked into hotel rooms adjacent to her and videotaped her through holes in the room walls.

Some of that video was posted on the Internet. After his capture it became known that Andrews was only one of multiple women who were victimized by his crimes.

The ESPN personality spoke at Barrett’s sentencing hearing and detailed for the judge how she lives in fear of it happening to her again. She also spoke about the vulgar taunting she now absorbs in public while performing her job at college sporting events. Barrett was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Some of her fears seem to have been realized with these latest developments.

There were critics of her decision to appear on the wildly popular ABC program who thought she should keep a lower profile or at least one that didn’t entail dancing in outfits that titillate.

As far back as last spring, Andrews talked about how much she wanted to appear on the dancing program. “I want to do it, because I think I’d be good at it,” she told Dan Steinberg for The Sporting Blog.

She apparently decided to live her life in a manner that wasn’t dictated by the effects of Barrett’s crime, which she has every right to do. Emails sent prior to Dancing With the Stars are evidence that there are people, or at least one person, who needed no further provocation for what he did.

It’s anyone’s guess if Andrews’ attitude will remain the same as a result of the latest news, but it’s clear that she has entered that realm of celebrities who contend with stalking and violent threats.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

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