Youtube / KSAT 12
In Steve Browne's Facebook post on Thursday, the retired weatherman said that "valuable" people at KSAT were treated different after being arrested.
In a followup post shared Thursday, then subsequently deleted, Browne went on another tirade, this time trying to defend himself against a flood of angry comments calling his initial claims sexist.
In a Tuesday post, Browne blamed women leadership at KSAT for the departure of Simmons, who resigned as a sports anchor last week following his arrest on suspicion of DWI. In the screed, the retired meteorologist argued that under the station's all-male leadership anchors who made "dumb" mistakes got second chances.
"I have known Greg for 30 years and I knew he drank but I never once saw him drunk," Browne said in his Thursday followup. "I also know that he hired a personal driver many, many times when he went to a bar. Unfortunately, he did not do it this time. He should have. He knows this well. Also, the fact that I notice that in my past at KSAT a valuable person with an arrest is treated differently is just a fact. Facts are facts and it's not over until the fat lady sings."
In that post, Browne also hit back against social media users who accused him of being drunk when he made his initial comment about Simmons. He called anyone who suggested he was inebriated "an irresponsible jerk."
Later Thursday, Browne deleted both posts. But only after another former KSAT anchor, Karen Gallagher, landed a few good punches in the comment section.
Gallagher served KSAT's anchor desk during the '90s, leaving in 1998. In 2011, she was charged with stealing prescription painkillers from a friend's medicine cabinet and faced a DWI charge in 2015, according to a MySA report.
"Who might that 'valuable person at KSAT' be that got off easy?" Gallagher shot back in her response to Browne. "I know my issues when I had breast cancer and started on my road to sobriety were almost 15 YEARS(!!!) after I left KSAT-12 and I was severely [punished] with community service, a machine to blow in on my car, plus so much more. I welcomed the extreme punishment because no one is above the law and I made the choice to learn about addiction rehab. We are so curious as to whom you are referring to who had no repercussions after they had a DWI and WERE STILL ACTIVELY working at KSAT news at the time… and kept their job? And got off easy? Curious? And the whole 'female management' argument holds no water because Greg's current news director/boss is a MALE!!! Finally, does this kind of post HELP or HURT our dear friend Greg? I've known him as a dear friend and worked with him since 1983 ~ 40 years! We should lift him up, Steve and not turn this into whatever THIS hateful POST IS!"
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