Someone has finally taken the fall for Roger Goodell's questionable behavior in regards to the recent Ray Rice cover-up. But it wasn't Goodell.
ESPN personality Bill Simmons, long known for his loud and unabashed style, called out the NFL commissioner in a podcast on Simmons' site Grantland, which is owned by ESPN.
"I just think not enough is being made out of the fact that they knew about the tape, and they knew what was on it," Simmons said in the podcast. "Goodell, if he didn't know what was on that tape, he's a liar. I'm just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie-detector test, that guy would fail."
Simmons went on to say that he was insulted when Goodell took the stand for a press conference last week and proclaim his innocence.
But his rant didn't end there. As if knowing how controversial his comments were, Simmons went on to challenge the media conglomerate that governs his content.
"You leave me alone," Simmons said, addressing ESPN. "The commissioner is a liar, and I get to talk about that on my podcast."
ESPN didn't bat an eyelash and called Simmons's bluff. Hours later, he was suspended for three weeks.
ESPN said in a statement about the suspension that Simmons did not meet the obligations to operate within the company's journalistic standards.
Many fans took to Twitter to voice frustration over Simmons' punishment, pointing out that the suspension given to Simmons was in fact longer than the original suspension given to Rice for the domestic assault controversy.
Rice sucker punches fiance...suspended 2 weeks Roger Goodell covers it up...no punishment @BillSimmons calls that BS...suspended 3 weeks
— Ian Beck (@ICBeck21) September 24, 2014
ESPN says 2 reasons why Simmons was suspended. He called out ESPN bosses. Also, he offered no proof when profanely calling Goodell a liar.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) September 24, 2014
Well ESPN had to suspend Simmons because he dared them. Elementary rules say that you always have to follow a dare or you're called chicken
— Dakota Schmidt (@Dakota_Schmidt) September 24, 2014
This account is suspended.
— Wesley Morris (@Wesley_Morris) September 25, 2014
Just hours after ESPN's announcement, the hashtag #FreeSimmons was trending nationwide.
Ultimately, ESPN's decision regarding Simmons was the same as Goodell's decision regarding Rice: a mistake.
Simmons is not a reporter, and his job is not solely to write about facts. In the position that ESPN has placed its erstwhile talking head, he is allowed to voice his opinions regardless of how controversial they may be.
Many NFL fans share this same opinion of Goodell, and maybe rightfully so.
ESPN's knee-jerk reaction to suspend Simmons for calling out a man who very well could be embroiled in sport's biggest cover-up since steroids in baseball seems like a decision born out of the network trying to maintain a good working relationship with the league office.
Simmons wasn't billing his statements as fact. He wasn't assuring his listeners that without a shadow of a doubt, he is right. For anyone who follows Simmons and reads his content on Grantland, it is fairly obvious that he in fact urges the opposite: that he is often wrong.
He had an opinion and he talked about it. Now, simply because ESPN didn't like those opinions, he will have to sit on the sidelines for nearly a month.
It's a shame that in this day and age any rant that might offend one person or another is grounds for suspension.
So what if Simmons stepped on some peoples' toes? So what if he was cocky and unabashed? That's exactly what ESPN pays him to be; it's what his fans appreciate about him.
At the end of the day, Simmons did his job and ESPN punished him for it. #FreeSimmons
https://twitter.com/StefanJModrich/status/514653603605143553
Reach the sports editor at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21
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