Is anyone as sick of Bill Simmons as me?

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Seems like someone gets suspended from espn every week.

 

[YourFriendGannon]

If Bill had made similarly disparaging remarks on his podcast about Gary Bettman, do you think ESPN would have cared? If so I have some oceanfront property on Mongolia for rent.

 

[YourFriendGannon]

Remember how ESPN backed out of its participation in the League of Denial documentary about concussions that aired last year, so it was shown on PBS Frontline instead? This is more quid pro quo, ESPN scratches the NFL's back & vise versa.

 

[LogicMan]

This is just getting crazy now. I am ready for a competitor to ESPN.

he gets three weeks but the commish, the ravens org get none for the cover up

 

[Godstree]

If games were not shown on ESPN, I would never watch ESPN. I get my news elsewhere. They seem too much like Mtv, they do just about everything except what they should be doing. I used to watch ESPN 24/7 but now I can't stand them.

 

[PatsFan2003]

He'll be fine. It's not like he was supporting spouse and child abuse. I'm sure a lot of people think Goodell is lying.

 

[Kevin12773]

If games were not shown on ESPN, I would never watch ESPN. I get my news elsewhere. They seem too much like Mtv, they do just about everything except what they should be doing. I used to watch ESPN 24/7 but now I can't stand them.

^^^this! I don't or won't watch that shit station unless I have too. Thank god for NHL,NFL,MLB networks who aren't much better (well NHL is) but I don't have to listen or watch those assclowns.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

It's still not a good look for ESPN. Simmons is a paid columnist that is allowed to speak freely. He's got one of the more liberal contracts at ESPN so he has free reign to do just about what he wants creatively. They can't have it both ways. They can't broadcast sports leagues, claim to give unbiased opinions and journalism, and then turn around and suspend people if they are critical of those leagues.

FWIW, he's only saying what 97% of America has said over the last two weeks. Hell, Olbermann said basically the same thing and he went unpunished. Simmons just dropped an F-bomb, which he's allowed to do on his own podcast due to his contract. Plus, ESPN is making it worse with his suspension. Now even more people are aware of it. Not a smart way to handle it. If they're mad, they should do something more internal and less visable

I'm all for free speech, and actually side with his comments on Goodell, but there is a difference in insinuating Goodell lied and calling him a liar. ESPN had to act on this one I think.

 

[Cincyfan78]

S.A. got like a week for saying it was a womans fault when she gets slapped around.

Simmons stands up for the insanity that is going on around the NFL and it's because of its "leader", he calls them out and he gets 3 weeks.

ESPN should be ashamed. I'm not saying he couldn't have, or shouldn't have, been reprimanded, but giving a guy a 3 week suspension when he is standing up for something vs a guy like S.A who literally blamed women for getting slapped around, and got like a week is insane and completely misses the boat on the issue(s) at hand.

ESPN lost me a long time ago. I don't even watch most of the games they show as it is, and I never watch S.C. anymore. I think they lost their way a good 10 years ago.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

.....at least he wasn't caught ''banging'' some ~fugly~ co-worker.......like that other ESPN/baseball-dude a few years back.

 

[Broncos6482]

I can't stand Simmons. I do like some of the things on grantland (Bill Barnwell mostly), but I don't gamble, I don't really like the NBA, and I don't care about Boston sports. Frankly Simmons could disappear completely and I wouldn't miss him a bit.

 

[iowajerms]

IMO, him calling Goodell a liar is not that bad than what other ESPN personalities have said. It is when he challenged ESPN to punish him for it. LOL that is just dumb.

 

[HammerDown]

Bill Simmons is an asshole and this whole thing is scripted as hell.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

S.A. got like a week for saying it was a womans fault when she gets slapped around.

Simmons stands up for the insanity that is going on around the NFL and it's because of its "leader", he calls them out and he gets 3 weeks.

ESPN should be ashamed. I'm not saying he couldn't have, or shouldn't have, been reprimanded, but giving a guy a 3 week suspension when he is standing up for something vs a guy like S.A who literally blamed women for getting slapped around, and got like a week is insane and completely misses the boat on the issue(s) at hand.

ESPN lost me a long time ago. I don't even watch most of the games they show as it is, and I never watch S.C. anymore. I think they lost their way a good 10 years ago.

S.A. never said that. Just like ESPN, you don't understand that accurate point he was making.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

I'm all for free speech, and actually side with his comments on Goodell, but there is a difference in insinuating Goodell lied and calling him a liar. ESPN had to act on this one I think.

Bill Simmons right to free speech isn't being infringed though. He has the right to say what he wants without fear of being arrested,within certain reasonable limitations anyway, but he doesn't have the right to say what he wants without his employer suspending him.

Otherwise, I agree with your statements. I guess this country has just gotten so used to "shock journalism" that we don't even realize how unprofessional some of our journalists are really behaving. He wasn't even taking shots at Goodell either. He was taking shots at his employer too.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Bill Simmons right to free speech isn't being infringed though. He has the right to say what he wants without fear of being arrested,within certain reasonable limitations anyway, but he doesn't have the right to say what he wants without his employer suspending him.

Otherwise, I agree with your statements. I guess this country has just gotten so used to "shock journalism" that we don't even realize how unprofessional some of our journalists are really behaving. He wasn't even taking shots at Goodell either. He was taking shots at his employer too.

You're right...shock jocks (Stern) now shock journalism, but much like Stern had to be taken off the radio due to constant problems with the FCC...you can say whatever you want, but if you're going to call the commish of the NFL a liar with no real facts to support it other than your opinion, you have to expect your employer to respond...I support Simmons right to say what he did, but I understand ESPN's side here as well...they're paying a hefty sum to the NFL for the "privilege" to air their games...can't have some guy going off half cocked.

 

[Lemon Harang Pie]

You're right...shock jocks (Stern) now shock journalism, but much like Stern had to be taken off the radio due to constant problems with the FCC...you can say whatever you want, but if you're going to call the commish of the NFL a liar with no real facts to support it other than your opinion, you have to expect your employer to respond...I support Simmons right to say what he did, but I understand ESPN's side here as well...they're paying a hefty sum to the NFL for the "privilege" to air their games...can't have some guy going off half cocked.

Definitely. The NFL is a big part of ESPN's product.

I also just think coverage of Goodell and now Steve Bisciotti is getting ridiculous. I just don't understand why people are ranting about them and not about Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

 

[Cincyfan78]

S.A. never said that. Just like ESPN, you don't understand that accurate point he was making.

Yeah, because this statement here:

"Let's make sure we don't do anything to provoke wrong action ... we got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

means, that if you make an abuser mad, then you are asking to get hit if you know they have that inclination. Which is pure bullshit. It's why he was backtracking as fast as possible on his twitter account, and later deleted the statements on twitter following up his ignorant statement.

I understand exactly what he was trying to say, but it is 100% completely and utterly wrong. To spread a message that the person being abused not "provoke" the abuser is not accurate, correct, or tolerable. Period. To think what he said was "accurate" means that you stand by a person abusing another person if they so provoke them, which is sickening.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Definitely. The NFL is a big part of ESPN's product.

I also just think coverage of Goodell and now Steve Bisciotti is getting ridiculous. I just don't understand why people are ranting about them and not about Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

I think both players are getting their fair share of wrath actually, but players get it all the time...Goodell has been mostly a teflon Don to this point so people have been itching to blast him for something. And Bisciotti...just a position of authority figurehead...people love take swipes at the high and mighty.

 

[podsox]

if only goodell and the boys would attempt to sue him. they would have to open up their books