Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Shumann
resigned from the KGO-TV sportscasting gig he has held for almost a quarter-century after allegedly stealing a jacket belonging to Golden State Warriors director of team security Ralph Walker, the Bay Area TV station announced over the weekend.
During Golden State’s first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs late last month, The Athletic reported that Shumann allegedly walked off with the jacket after a practice at the AT&T Center. Walker also serves as Warriors star Stephen Curry’s personal bodyguard. Video later emerged of the incident:
According to The Athletic, multiple Warriors players would not “brush this incident aside,” “told observers they were concerned an apology wasn’t enough” and “wondered what would be the consequence if a media member of color had been caught stealing a team employee’s property?”
Two weeks later, Shumann resigned, tacitly referencing the incident in his resignation letter:
It is with sadness that I announce that ABC7 news and I have decided to amicably part ways after 24 years together.
I regret any embarrassment I have caused the station. My recent actions do not reflect the high standard of conduct expected at KGO. Nor do they represent the integrity with which I have conducted my professional sports and broadcast careers.
Shumann thanked his KGO-TV colleagues and the station’s viewers, writing, “I have nothing but great memories working here and covering four World Series, three Super Bowls, three NBA championship runs, a Stanley Cup and two U.S. Opens.” His statement included no public apology to the Warriors.
A member of the Florida State Seminoles Hall of Fame, Shumann played three of his six NFL seasons on the 49ers, including a Super Bowl-winning season in 1981. He has lived in the Bay Area for 40 years.