John Skipper Left ESPN Over Cocaine Extortion

Former ESPN president John Skipper was the target of a cocaine extortion plot that forced his shocking resignation in December.

At the time, Skipper cited a substance abuse problem, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he admitted the real reason he stepped down was because his drug addiction put the company in a terrible position.

“In December, someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me,” Skipper told James Andrew Miller.

John Skipper

Skipper, who talked about how careful he typically was when it came to drugs and his sources, said a new dealer he had never used before tried to shake him down. He did not go into specifics, but said he was so spooked by the situation, he went right to Disney CEO Bob Iger and the two ultimately decided Skipper had to go.

According to the NY Daily News, Skipper claims his recreational drug use, which he attributed to his being a “hippie” and starting his professional career at Rolling Stone magazine, never got in the way of work. He admitted that he used cocaine, but never dabbled in heroin or opioids and that being a “master of compartmentalization” allowed him to go through his professional life without a hint that he was stoned.

He said his carelessness in putting himself in a position to be extorted by a cocaine dealer opened his eyes to the fact that he had a drug problem.

While he copped to his taste for cocaine in the interview, Skipper flatly denied rumors that his resignation was at all connected to sexual misconduct.

Skipper’s problem was drugs, not sex, he said.