After challenging his bosses to take action against him in an anti-Roger Goodell podcast on Monday, ESPN has brought the hammer down on Captain Blowhard. The suspension lasts for three weeks.
In the podcast, Bill Simmons called the NFL Commish a liar and that it was “f$&king bullsh!t” that he didn’t know that happened in the Atlantic City casino elevator between Ray Rice and his then-fiancée until he saw the TMZ video.
And as he continued his anti-Goodell rant, he challenged his bosses to discipline him. He said, “I really hope somebody calls me or e-mails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell …. The commissioner’s a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast … Please, call me and say I’m in trouble. I dare you.”
Well, his ESPN bosses saw that dare and raised him three weeks, the exact amount of time he’ll be away from his job. Here’s ESPN’s statement on the matter:
“Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards. We have worked hard to ensure that our recent NFL coverage has met that criteria. Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks.”
Some are angry that ESPN suspended Simmons and kowtowed to the NFL. This is not about kowtowing to the league. It’s about A) swearing in his podcast, Disney frowns upon that; and B) challenging his bosses. This is more insubordination than kowtowing to a league. Simmons attracts drama and his actions have gotten him into trouble before. He’s been suspended for criticizing WEEI in Boston and was taken off Twitter for going off on First Take.
Twitter sentiment is in Simmons’ favor and he’s looking like a martyr. In addition, this is one of the lengthiest suspensions that ESPN has handed down. Stephen A. Smith got a week for his comments earlier this year about domestic violence and there seems to be no consistency for how an employee gets suspended or for how long.
Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrate goes inside the suspension.
