Jarren Duran, the Boston Red Sox outfielder, has deleted his Instagram account after publicly criticizing NBC Sports Boston analyst Michael Holley.
Holley is a Boston-based sports journalist, television/radio host, author and educator. He is best known for his work in Boston sports media and is a New York Times best-selling author.
The incident took place after Michael Holley slammed the Red Sox for how they handled updates on Anthony’s injury, accusing the team of dishonesty and saying:
“All teams lie. They lie about injuries, plain and simple.”
He called out Duran’s teammate, Roman Anthony, “one of the biggest flops” he has ever seen in his sophomore season, sparking backlash from some fans and teammates. Duran publicly defended Anthony and shared a clip of Holley’s remarks on his Instagram story with the text:
“They let people like this on NBC Sports”
Instead of just deleting the story, he deleted his whole Instagram account shortly amid backlash.
Continue to read for more details.
Everything you need to know about Michael Holley amid his feud with Jarren Duran
NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley’s personal life has come to the spotlight after he made comments about the Red Sox’s dishonesty regarding Roman Anthony’s injury, sparking criticism from Jarren Duran.
Holley said during a broadcast:
“I understand why all teams do it, but let’s just be honest. All teams lie. They lie about injuries, they just do. So when the Red Sox did it, like, why are we doing this? Why are you playing games with us? This is an unnecessary lie. We know you’re lying. Stop it.”
The 56-year-old journalist was born in February 1970 in Akron, Ohio. He grew up in a middle-class household and developed an interest in journalism and sports by delivering the newspaper.
Michael Holley graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 1992. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2005 and delivered the commencement speech that year.
Right after college, Holley began his professional career by working as a writer for the Akron Beacon Journal in 1993. After his work at the Akron, Michael moved to the Boston Globe and the Chicago Tribune.
He joined the Boston Globe in September 1994 as a general assignment sports reporter, where he covered the Boston Celtics. He worked for a period of 10 years with the newspaper. He left Globe temporarily to work as a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He was hired as a young columnist but resigned after two months due to homesickness for Boston. He then returned to Globe and worked until 2005, and later transitioned fully into broadcasting by joining WEEI radio.
In broadcasting, Holley has co-hosted a sports-talk radio show in Boston for reportedly 13 years. He also co-hosts studio and pre- and post-game shows now on NBC Sports Boston. He is the author of six New York Times bestselling books.
Michael Holley has been married to Oni C. Igartua since 2007. He shared an Instagram post in 2024 celebrating 17 years of their marriage. The post featuring the couple’s photos read:
“Happy wife…happy life indeed. Especially when we find some vacation time on Martha’s Vineyard. I’m so grateful for the inspiring and remarkable Oni Holley. These 17 years of marriage have been a nonstop love song.”
Michael is a dad to three kids – Robinson Coltrane (born in 2008), Beckham Ellison (born in 2010) and Ava August (born in 2012).
Edited by Aastha Dass