ESPN Operates 13-Year Emmy Scheme By Using Fake Names To Honor Front-Facing Talent: Report

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) discovered that ESPN committed "fraud" for over 13 years by submitting fake names to the credit list for the Emmys.

"Since at least 2010 ... ESPN took the awards won by some of those imaginary individuals, had them re-engraved and gave them to on-air personalities," reported The Athletic on Thursday.

ESPN awarded the trophies to front-facing figures on "College GameDay," such as Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard, and Sam Ponder.

Note: hosts were not eligible to be honored in a credit list until 2023.

The report claims the on-air talents were not aware of the scheme. ESPN convinced them they had won the awards containing their names.

Eventually, NATAS ordered ESPN to return a total of 37 ill-gotten trophies, each of which was intended for a behind-the-scenes employee who does not exist.

Former ESPN reporter Shelley Smith recalled that, in May of 2023, executive Stephanie Druley ordered her to return two sports Emmy statuettes. Druley called the matter "serious," telling Smith the reason must stay between the two of them.

It did not.

“I think it was really crummy what they did to me and others,” Shelley Smith, who ESPN laid off last year, told The New York Times.

As part of the punishment, NATAS also ruled ESPN executive Craig Lazarus and former executive Lee Fitting ineligible for future Emmys.

The name Lee Fitting is worth elaborating on. ESPN fired Fitting last summer under mysterious circumstances. WWE hired Fitting as head of media production this week.

A subsequent report from the New York Post on Thursday says the name-changing scheme was a factor in Fitting's dismissal.

The Athletic could not obtain who orchestrated the Emmy ruse. But ESPN blames Fitting, perhaps among others.

What a wild past two weeks for ESPN it has been.

To recap:

Last Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers appeared on ESPN and made a joke about Jimmy Kimmel, a Disney employee, sweating the release of the Jeffrey Epstein client list.

Kimmel then threatened to sue Rodgers and took a shot at Pat McAfee.

Friday, McAfee called ESPN executive Norby Williamson a "rat trying to sabotage his show" on ESPN airwaves.

On Tuesday, Rodgers re-appeared on the McAfee show and (accurately) criticized Dr. Fauci and the Covid vaccines.

Wednesday, McAfee announced he had banned Rodgers from appearing on his show moving forward. McAfee caved to the pressure.

Later Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith, the face of ESPN, released a profanity-laced podcast calling Jason Whitlock a "bitch," a "piece of shit," a "lying fat ass," and "worse than a white supremacist."

Thursday, Rodgers oddly re-appeared on McAfee's show for a short segment.

And, now, we learn ESPN has been hoodwinking the Emmys with imaginary employees for over a decade.

ESPN CEO Jimmy Pitaro has lost control of his locker room. A lack of leadership would be an understatement.