ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons Over Podcast Rant

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, September 24, 2014

ESPN has suspended air personality Bill Simmons for three weeks following a profanity-laced rant during his podcast "B.S. Report" on Tuesday. Simmons railed against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell with foul language and accusations that violated the company's journalistic standards. "Goodell, if he didn't know what was on that tape, he's a liar. I'm just saying it. He is lying," Simmons said during the podcast. "It's such f**king bullsh*t."

"Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN's journalistic standards," said ESPN in a statement. "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."

Insubordination and the fact that he challenged his employer could also have lead to the suspension, a source tells The Wrap. "I really hope somebody calls me or e-mails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell, because if one person says that to me, I'm going public," said Simmons. "You leave me alone. The commissioner is a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast."

Goodell has been highly criticized since a new video was brought to light by TMZ on September 9 that showed Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice assaulting his then-fiance Janay Palmer in Atlantic City, NJ, last February.