Report: ESPN Tried To Keep Jemele Hill Off SC6

ESPN did practically nothing after one of its top hosts launched a racially inflammatory diatribe against President Trump. But that wasn’t always the plan, according to Media reporter Howard Kurtz  at foxnews.com.

Kurtz reports the network’s management initially considered firing Jemele Hill, the co-host of "Sports Center," according to several ESPN staffers speaking on a not-for-attribution basis. Then the brass considered suspending the African-American journalist, but decided against that too.

Next, management asked Hill to apologize. She countered by questioning whether she was being ordered to apologize for the Trump tweets or just asked to apologize. When told it was the latter, she refused, according to these sources.

Finally, ESPN tried to yank Hill from "Sports Center" on Wednesday night. But this effort failed as well, the sources say, as first reported by Think Progress. When her African-American co-host, Michael Smith, refused to do the show without her, and two other black hosts followed suit, the network gave in rather than using white hosts as substitutes. ESPN has denied this account.

The result is that both liberal and conservative employees are confused and resentful over the lack of clear standards at the network. In short, ESPN has escalated the outrage.