A month ago, Jemele Hill made a terrible mistake. The ESPN journalist went on Twitter and responded to some comments, and over the course of several tweets, Jemele correctly identified Donald Trump as a white supremacist. For that terrible crime, ESPN attempted to take her off the air, only her co-host and other ESPN journalists had her back. Then the White House tried to get her fired. Sarah Huckabee Sanders literally stood at the WH podium and argued that Jemele Hill should be FIRED for correctly identifying Trump as a white supremacist.
Well, on Sunday, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, announced that he would not allow any player who kneeled to play in the NFL. These were his words: “If there’s anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play. Understand? We will not … if we are disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period.” This is like saying “I will fire any black person who doesn’t agree with me” or “I will fire any black person for believing that they have First Amendment rights.” Nevermind that none of this was ever about the f–king flag. So, what did the acclaimed and award-winning sports journalist Jemele Hill do? She used her Twitter to discuss the issue. She tweeted something about the only way to change the behavior of these NFL owners would be to boycott the advertisers and hit them in the wallet. And for that, ESPN suspended Jemele Hill.
ESPN has suspended Jemele Hill over her social media usage.
“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines,” ESPN said in a statement Monday on its public relations Twitter account. “She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences. Hence this decision.”
Hill suspension comes in response to tweets she made suggesting football fans pressure NFL advertisers in response to mandates from the owners of the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins that players stand during the playing of the national anthem. On Sunday, Hill wrote, “If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers. Don’t place the burden squarely on the players.” Hill tweeted again Monday saying that she was not calling for an advertiser boycott, but did not clarify what fan-advertiser interaction she was suggesting. “Just so we’re clear: I’m not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives.” Her original tweet quoted another Twitter user encouraging fans to write to advertisers’ corporate offices and post on their social-media pages.
Hill will not appear on Monday’s 6 p.m. edition of “SportsCenter,” which the network bills as “SC6” and which Hill hosts with Michael Smith. ESPN has not yet said who will host the show during Hill’s two-week suspension.
I’m disgusted by the way ESPN has handled this situation from start to finish. I’m disgusted by the way they’re treating a grown-ass woman like she’s a wayward child who needs to be chided and publicly shamed for having an opinion. Much like the kneeling football players, Jemele is using whatever platform she has to speak, to raise awareness, to calmly discuss the sports-politics issues of the day. Her tweets about Trump’s white supremacy were NOT “impulsive.” And I fail to see how it’s against ESPN’s guidelines to, you know, tweet about one of the biggest sports stories of the week. Deadspin has a good breakdown here too.
Also: weeks ago, I read an article which I can’t find now, but it was basically like: imagine if ESPN handled the Jemele Hill incident like ABC handled Jimmy Kimmel. Meaning, ABC has Kimmel’s back as Kimmel’s show becomes increasingly and authentically political. ABC is cosigning him and letting him use his platform. Imagine if ESPN had given Jemele that kind of support. (Incidentally, ABC and ESPN have the same corporate owner: Disney.)
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Yet they had commenters last year calling Obama a Nazi and all kinds of names.
ESPN is just mad a black woman is standing up to them. Just like the NFL owners are mad their black property…I mean players are sitting out the anthem.
But racism is totally dead an all/s
Yep
An ESPN employee tweeted out that Obama was a Nazi?
Any real journalist knows you don’t do this. She was in the wrong from the beginning. However, ESPN dropped the ball in the way it handled the situation.
Real journalists are mostly disappointing these days though … so … yeah. And who decides who’s a real journalist? 45 is a racist. She stated facts. Is that out of fashion?
And a real president would be above attacking an ESPN host on twitter yet that is exactly what trump is doing this morning.
Please ESPN had no issue with its employees attacking Obama. So that argument holds no water
What Honeybadger said is true, and one of the reasons I no longer work in a newsroom. That doesn’t discount the existence of double standards or make them right.
+1 whether you agree that she is right or you think that she is wrong, all employees have a code for of conduct and most of them say that what you do in public reflects on the company. Even though I am not a public person, my company would say that if you do certain things publicly, you could be fired at work for those things in your personal life. She is likely held to that as well. In addition, what I have heard is that the first amendmentgets a little tricky when you’re talking about an employer. As in you don’t have the right to say whatever you want at work. And since these players are at work, and I know I would not be allowed to protest anything while at work. I’m just saying that when everyone talks about free-speech, keep in mind that they are at work. I wouldn’t be allowed to say whatever I wanted
What does the First Amendment have to do with workplace behavior at all? Unless we’re thinking this is a direct result of the WH’s comments, I don’t see the connection.
She did the right thing but ESPN is an assh*le, that’s all there is to it. You don’t want your employees to speak the truth? Fine. But it’s wrong to punish them nontheless. None of it has anything to do with the First Amendment as such. Unless I’m seriously misunderstanding its intent.
@Honeybadger & @ Menutia are correct: all News organizations and most corporations have an Employee Handbook that spells out a code of conduct (including morals clauses, acceptance/non-acceptance of gifts; public behavior; behavior or statements that embarrass the company etc,) that details what you can and cannot do and the penalties for infractions. While ESPN may have fumbled badly on its initial handling of this — make no mistake: they are setting her up to fire her. Note that ESPN’s latest statement said this her “second infraction.” This is a very public warning. ESPN has effectively put her on notice that she’ll face more serious repercussions for a third offense. And the fact that they said this publicly (as well as privately, I’m sure) means that they’re also taking steps to protect themselves in the event of a lawsuit, IMO.
No matter who’s side you’re on, it’s pretty clear what ESPN’s plan of action is going forward.
she’s not a political journalist covering the presidential campaign and is on a show that is about discussing opinions so she has no obligation to be impartial. but particularly because any journalist can find evidence that 1) black people are discriminated against 2) jerry jones is a racist POS 3) what the WH is doing in calling for people to lose their jobs is actually illegal 4) race and sports are inextricably linked 5) there is mountains of evidence that withholding support for products/services is an effective, quiet and safe form of protest. all of those things can be woven together with indisputable facts and had she written an expose for it instead of using twitter – she’d win a pulitzer. so – she should have said what she said. she should keep saying it. she is right and history will show it.
Thank you Lizzie. What Don the Con is doing IS ILEEGAL, but no one is holding his feet to the fire. He faces NO consequences for his illegal bahviour. As for ALL sport leagues, they should DEFEND their players, NOT bully them like Don the Con does.
This shows just how deeply rooted misogyny and white supremacy are in America.
Absolutely disgusting. F ESPN.
Were they hoping we’d not hear about it if they waited two weeks?
I firmly believe Jemele is going to rise above this, and come out better than ever. She shouldn’t have to though, and it’s a shame ESPN didn’t take that opportunity..
It kills me that players can be rapists, animal abusers, liars, cheats, but on her own time Jemele can’t have an opinion.
If ESPN just wanted a pretty face with no thoughts or opinions of her own, they should have hired a Fox News fem bot.
Det., agree that Jemele is defining herself through ESPN’s failure to stand on the right side of history. She’ll come out of this a better brand & in a few years move onto her next big thing while ESPN tries to survive like a dinosaur facing the next ice age, or Blockbuster facing the 2000s.
This is infuriating!!!! Every word she spoke was the truth. It’s so obvious Trump can’t handle a woman of color calling him out on his bs. He is going after her personally while ignoring (so far) what Sen. Corker said about him. And he still has said nothing about the four soldiers killed in Niger. I am hoping her colleagues stick up for Jemele because ESPN you suck!!!
For a man who is so worried about NFL players disrespecting service members, Trump is bizarrely silent when they die in service to our country.
it is so disgusting that there seem to be two measurements. One for the right-wing scum that is currently governing the country and one for the rest.
I feel so bad for the Dallas Cowboys players. I am sure that they would love to ‘disobey’, but on the other hand that is their livelyhood. What can they do if they have to support families and this is their job?
I know this won’t happen, but I would LOVE it if the whole team kneeled. Then wtf is Jones gonna do? And holy hell, HE kneeled himself a few weeks ago!
They kneeled in support before the anthem. They all stood for the anthem afterwards.
Kind of like actresses who ignored the rumors about Harvey Weinstein because getting parts is how they earn their living and take care of their families. Funny how the men get sympathy and the women get blame.
I feel like projectile vomiting all over my desk. I’m getting used to the feeling.
I hope someone sees her for what she is: A passionate, brave young woman who will not back down but continues to speak out. And that this someone will hire her and just let her do her thing. It would be the smart thing to do, she is nothing but an asset to any employer. Sadly, we live in a world of morons.
I feel like slowly, women are waking up. And I don’t mean women like her, she strikes me as someone who was never EVER asleep at the wheel (how could she, as a black woman in the US?). I’m noticing it around me though. Feminist literature etc. is being read by people who – in my view – have always been feminists but are now arming themselves with the theory, my friends are realizing that you don’t have to be nice above all else and so on. Small things, maybe. But better than nothing.
And ESPN can go f*ck itself.
Whether or not Jemele’s views are right or wrong (I happen to think she’s right but that is besides the point); she signed an employment contract for a company that has strict written policies on how its employees, particularly those with an on-air presence, conduct themselves on social media. They have FIRED employees in the past for violating those policies. Jemele knew this. Jemele received a warning for her earlier violation according to the progressive discipline policies the company has in place. She again violated the policy and the next step was suspension. She knew that. This is all basic employment law. The company has rules; she signed on to comply with those rules; she broke the rules twice; and the company has responded according to the terms of the contract she signed, as it has done with other employees, including white males.
+1000, LP. It sucks, but Jemele was essentially telling folks to boycott what her company makes its money off of. No NFL watchers hurts ESPN’s bottom line. No company would be okay with that.
And she had already been warned. She knew what she was doing and she knew what the consequences would be and, although she may get some support, she also knows that ESPN is well within its legal boundaries.
When these rules apply to everyone we’ll talk. When we can stop pretending these rules aren’t arbitrarily used to toe a particular line I’ll listen.
THIS. Because I don’t remember any action when some hosts spent their time attacking Obama for years.
ESPN gave warnings to and then suspended Bill Simmons for comments on social media. ESPN gave warning, then suspended, then fired Kurt Schilling for comments on social media. ESPN reassigned/demoted Mike Ditka after he made negative comments about Barack Obama.
Exactly which policy did she break? Having an unpopular opinion and being inflammatory aren’t the same. Team Hill.
@lightpurple
I understand your point. It’s the company rules. But we are in a crisis and Nazis are marching openly in the streets. ESPN should understand this. My husband and I own a business and when people are in a crisis we make exceptions.
ESPN understands that if they don’t treat Jemele in accordance with written policy and past practices that all those they disciplined in the past can and most likely will sue them and ESPN will lose those lawsuits. Whether we agree with what is going on or not, ESPN is a business and it must, by law, act in the ways that won’t harm shareholder interests financially, which exposing itself to losing lawsuits does.
@lightpurple
The lawsuit thing, yes, unfortunately that’s true and you are right, I didn’t think of that.
This is what I do for a living and I’m very good at my job. Jemele is being treated for her policy violations the same way ESPN has treated other employees. They are being very consistent. They have to be because the Kurt Schillings of the world are highly litigious.
@Mermaid, you are so right about this country being in a crisis–a constitutional crisis and a human rights crisis. I just read that DeAndre Harris , the young black man who was horribly beaten in Charlottesville by white supremacists, has been issued an arrest warrant for assault against one of his attackers. This news is just too painful to process, especially when we have a POTUS and VP who have yet to speak one ill word against his attackers, yet they insistently try to deny the right of others to peacefully take a knee in protest to this kind of brutality and unfairness. How many more blatant injustices will this administration inspire over the next 3 years before our democracy implodes?
This. I know we all want to support Jemele, but it’s not like she didn’t know what she was doing. If I violated my organization’s social media policy or others, I would expect to be appropriately disciplined – right or wrong. Jemele might be better off at a different network. Not that I want to see her go. Lightpurple is right – ESPN has suspended and terminated others for similar violations – mostly white men.
Well, the law is not always equal to what’s right. Which is why laws change. And we can argue this all day, the fact remains that one day we’ll look back and realize that whatever the circumstances were and however lawful ESPN’s behavior was, it was also just f*cked. None of this is okay.
I seldom agree with your politics (but I don’t always disagree either) but your assessment legally is spot on. Yes I know you are an attorney.
This generation that has been brought up with social media is struggling with the co-mingling of personal opinions and employer platforms and brands, Maybe case law will tilt the scales a bit more in their direction with time ? But for now…..yeah she was out of line and is lucky at this stage she is just on ice for 2weeks vs outright fired.
+100 I agree @Lightpurple. It is what it is, rules are rules. She was warned, so it’s not like they came out of nowhere with new rules just as an excuse to punish her. Others were warned, suspended or fired for breaking the rules , so it’s only fair the same is done to her too.
“Rules are rules” is so often the excuse used to demonize those brave enough to stand up for needed social change. The rule was sit in the back of the bus. The law was no “colored people” allowed at the lunch counter. And on and on … ‘I sympathize but, rules are rules,’ was used often then, too, by so-called well-meaning folks. Slamming those that fight the good fight as lawless and rule-breaking is the oldest, lamest and most intellectually dishonest trick in the book.
This all totally aside from the fact that Jemele Hill didn’t actually break any rules, as ESPN specifically allows, per a policy formalized in April, political commentary from its analysts on social media and on the air, AS LONG AS IT’S RELATED TO SPORTS, which this most certainly was. (I already cited the full policy, in ESPN’s own language, in a comment below.)
@lightpurple is 100% correct. Rules are rules. And yes, as both a broadcast and print journalist, I’m all too aware that the rules are not applied in the same way to different people, especially if management can keep things on the “down low.” In this case Jemele has used her position at ESPN to promote her personal views on social media. From a legal standpoint ESPN is on very solid ground. As I said in another post, ESPN’s latest statement referenced the fact that this was her “second warning/infraction.” I don’t know what penalty ESPN levies for a third infraction but it will carry more serious consequences, that MAY include a longer suspension or outright termination. We’ll have to wait and see.
Treating black people like they’re children to be chided is part of the subtext of these kinds of national conversations.
Yep
We can tweet @espn or call 860-766-2000 to #standwithjemele
(I got the number from Common’s instagram.)
Anyone can agree with Jemele but ESPN doesn’t have to employ them.
I mean no disrespect to Kimmel in saying this, but a white man with a prime time show can get away with things a black woman on a sports network can’t. Which is precisely why taking a knee, and protesting, and raising your voice is so important.
She’s amazing, and ESPN are a disgrace.
Although I think her basic rights to free speech are being violated, I also believe comparing her situation to Kimmel’s is all about another color–green. His ratings improved when he spoke out, and she suggested hurting that bottom line.
Hill is suspended for doing her job? What?
Actually, no. She was suspended for violating the written social media policy of her employer, after having received a reprimand for an earlier violation. Her job has rules that she, like other employees, must follow.
Except ESPN’s social media policy does NOT forbid employees from having, or tweeting about, political opinions related to sports, which this most certainly was. It was neither inflammatory, or insulting.
This is the policy, per ESPN … “Outside of ‘hard’ news reporting, commentary related to political or social issues, candidates or office holders is appropriate on ESPN platforms consistent with these guidelines.
“The topic should be related to a current issue impacting sports. … The presentation should be thoughtful and respectful. We should offer balance or recognize opposing views, as warranted. We should avoid personal attacks and inflammatory rhetoric.”
Which part of that policy do you believe Hill’s well reasoned tweets violated?
@ S: Well, the truth seems to be inflammatory. She also personally attacked Orange Führer? Although again, stating the truth is not an attack in my book. I honestly give up. She did the right thing and is living with the consequences. What upsets me is how flippant people are about the “rules”. She knew them so suck it? No. By that logic black people should’ve stayed at the back of the bus. Because rules.
drump is threatening the NFL with higher taxes. That’s why everyone from Jones to ESPN is falling in line.
drump is using the presidency to destroy all perceived enemies. He felt excluded and humiliated when the NFL refused to merge with drump’s United States footbal league team in the 1990s. He’s using Jones, Jemele and any African American player to further his grudge and get revenge. Revenge is the most important thing in the world to President Moron. He is clearly unstable and it’s terrifying.
There are rules at work. There are also things such as human dignity, that are more important than some of those rules. They didn’t suspend her for braking the law, they suspended her for drawing attention to the situation in the US. While I’m sure ESPN has lawyers that have combed through their contracts and have legally covered the bases, their ethical ones are exposed. ESPN thinks they’ve silenced her (and the problem) by her suspension. I think they’re going to find out, that this will not go away.
i see a lot of comments like “she should have known she was violating policy” – and duh but don’t you see she is protesting? she isn’t out there saying “this is totally unfair that i am being disciplined and am suspended”. in fact, she 100% followed the ESPN protocol in her original statements and now her new tweets are her protest. she is on a national platform supporting colin kapernick and the rights of athletes to protest the violence inflicted on POC from law enforcement and how the establishment of powerful white men are trying to silence them. she is putting her money where her mouth is and i respect the hell out of her b/c i don’t know if i could be so brave.
Yes, I see she is protesting but she signed an employment contract in which she agreed she would not use that particular medium for such protests. World events like having a bigoted dotard in the White House don’t tend to void such contractual agreements. ESPN has fired people for violating that contractual provision in the past
my point is that she knowingly violated her contract b/c speaking out on this was more important than her employment. do you work for ESPN b/c you’re out here stanning for them today like you’re paid.
I’m going back to read the article when I get a break from work. In the meantime I was wondering something. I don’t follow sports or watch much ESPN. My dad however does and listens to a ton of sports talk radio. He is a libertarian and not racist. My mom is another issue. He was telling me yesterday that she violated her contract. He was saying that the company she works for has an explicit “no politics” clause in her contract. Does anyone here know if that is true? Or did someone already cover that? I’m genuinely curious.
ESPN contracts include language about what is acceptable on social media. They have fired people for violating that policy
Maybe we need someone to gather a collection of social media statements that have resulted in firing or warnings from ESPN. That would make it easier to see where her comments lie on the spectrum.
I would assume that the tone of the comments would be most important, though.
And suggesting people contact advertisers about concerns is definitely not the same as calling for a boycott. It’s a sensible suggestion. Advertisers don’t want negative emotions associated with their products. Plenty of people contact them about problems they see in commercials or the products etc. without even a whiff of “I won’t buy your product anymore”.
On NPR this morning there was a conversation about this that made a great point. Networks like ESPN lean hard on their commentators to have a big social media presence because that’s simply part of driving traffic to the site and viewers to the show. That’s what she’s doing. This is a strange time and 45 and the utter horror show he’s ushered in have made it hard for decent people *not* to say something. This feels a lot like racist misogyny, not like enforcing workplace standards.
“Nevermind that none of this was ever about the f–king flag.”
Here’s the thing that’s been bugging me. The purpose of the protest is not about the flag or the anthem, but that does not automatically mean that the means of the protest is not disrespectful to the flag.
I do not think that kneeling during the anthem is disrespectful, if anything, it’s a celebration of the flag by exercising our constitutional rights. But the purpose and the means of the protest are two distinct things and I am so frustrated by people saying that because the goal of the protest isn’t to protest the flag that somehow equals the the act of the protest not being disrespectful (again, I don’t think it is disrespectful, just that this reasoning that is being repeated all over the place is flawed).
so is your point that it is or is not disrespectful to the flag? i understand your statement that kneeling is not disrespectful but you contradict yourself on the part about the flag.
a disrespectful protest would be setting the stadium on fire. this morning i watched a video of a professional baseball player in american flag underwear getting doused in champagne so pardon me for finding the “disrespecting the flag” angle beyond sanctimonious.
I don’t contradict myself.
I do not think it’s disrespectful to the flag to kneel, but that is not because the purpose of the protest is about something else. It’s because it’s not disrespectful to the flag to kneel in protest during the anthem.
I can protest something unrelated to the flag, but do it in a way that is disrespectful to the flag. Such as your example of setting the stadium on fire. If I protest something unrelated to the flag by setting a stadium on fire, that would be more disrespectful to America, and therefore the flag, than kneeling. But it’s because the act is disrespectful, not because the purpose behind the protest is about the flag.
It’s not the conclusion (that the protesters are not disrespecting the flag) that I disagree with, it’s the reasoning to get to that conclusion that is faulty. The purpose of the protest and the means of the protest are related, but they’re not the same thing. One can be disrespectful even if the other is not.
Are you kidding me? Jemele Hill has the right to say whatever she wants. I am assuming she was hired for her ability to parse and comment on situations. Let her do it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again…when you’re a public figure you don’t get first amendment rights. You are representing a company/team/brand and by speaking out is like you speaking on behalf of that said company/brand. She needs to keep out of debatable topics on her personal feed and still to being neutral. If she wants to be political either make your page private (i don’t have twitter but fb you can) or create a page where you don’t know its you.
Also I don’t mind the players kneeling, if they actually did something else to help the community. Kneeling raises awareness (sort of), but most of them just did it to mimic others or bc they don’t like Trump. If you’re going to speak out against something do something about it. Kneeling changes nothing. If anything, it has brought even more racism and intolerance out of the woodworks.
But that racism that has been brought out shows that there is racism. People are not getting upset because they’re disrespecting the flag. People are upset they have the audacity to complain, they’re getting treated so well *eye rolling.* There has always been racism and intolerance, it’s just being brought to the surface. Imo, that’s better than bubbling beneath the surface. If it’s exposed, we can address it. Part of the problem is white people not wanting to admit minorities are discriminated against. When I told certain people at work about some racism that my husband has endured, they told me he was making it up. I will admit, as a white person, I was not aware at how racism existed. Until I started dating my first black man, my how husband. We get stared at frequently. On Valentine’s day, we went to Outback. We were seated with a white couple across from a young couple in camoflague with a baby. They stared at us the whole time we were there. I also get nasty faces made at me behind my husband’s back. That happened at Denny’s, apparently the male cook didn’t like me being with a black man. Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I didn’t get nasty looks when I dated white guys. how upset people are about someone kneeling just shows they are upset those men dare to speak out.
They do a lot of volunteer work in their communities. Google and you will see that.
Jerry Jones threatens to punish any player who takes a knee because The Dotard called him 4 times in one day about the players taking a knee and Jemele comments on this and as a result she is suspended. This has nothing to do with ESPN’s policy. This is about ESPN caving to Jerry Jones and Jerry Jones caving to the Dotard.
In this day and age when we have a Dotard and WS for a president, how can ESPN continue to argue that Jemele is wrong? How can they continue to argue that her comments violate company policy when The Dotard is tweeting things like this to and about her?
“With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have “tanked,” in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!”-The Dotard
“Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!”-The Dotard
ESPN is the network built on misogyny.
Status quo at that network for women staffers to get anywhere is on their backs. It is a sexual harassment cesspool where women are treated as collectibles. Expecting them to stand up for female talent against the league will lead to nothing but disappointment. They are disgusting and completely lacking in morals.