ESPN To Host Town Hall To Address Accusations That It Mistreats Black Employees

Well, here's an event full of lies.

As first reported by the Hollywood Reporter, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro emailed his staff about steps the company has made “to improve the experiences of black employees at ESPN."

Pitaro, who is the most powerful person at ESPN after Maria Taylor, also told employees that the network is planning a town hall to address diversity and inclusion later this month.

Here's Pitaro's full memo:

"I do want to be clear on one thing," Pitaro says. "Maria Taylor was selected as NBA Countdown host last year because she earned it. Please know our commitment is that assignments and opportunities at ESPN are based on merit and any concerns, remarks, or inferences that suggest otherwise have been and will continue to be addressed."

Hmm. How exactly did Taylor, who had been covering college football, "earn" the NBA Countdown job over Rachel Nichols, who has covered the NBA for decades and had the job in her contract?

Hopefully, ESPN employees will read Pitaro's line and laugh as I just did. He's lying.

Pitaro's entire memo is absurd. Black people are not held back or treated poorly at ESPN. ESPN's highest-paid talent, Stephen A. Smith, is black. Smith makes $12 million a year.

The vast majority of ESPN analysts are black.

Seven of ESPN's most promoted personalities under the age of 40 are black: Maria Taylor, Malika Andrews, Marcus Spears, Chiney Ogwumike, Elle Duncan, Kim Martin, and Domonique Foxworth.

ESPN is offering Maria Taylor more than three times what it pays Laura Rutledge, whose resume is similar to Taylor's. ESPN lets Mark Jones and Jalen Rose tweet racist nonsense because the company is afraid to address them. ESPN is desperate to re-sign each black talent, while happily cutting ties with other races.

So, I ask: how are black people mistreated at ESPN?

By the way, will anyone at this town hall address that ESPN refused to bring back Mike Golic, Bobby Carpenter, Trey Wingo, and 18 others because they view white guys as expendable given the lack of coverage upon their releases.

I had a lot of respect for Jimmy Pitaro early on, as did many at ESPN. Now, he's a frightened man who is bowing to easily debunkable lies spread by Maria Taylor, Jemele Hill, and Cari Champion.

Pathetic.