{"id":583973,"date":"2021-07-06T13:20:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T17:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=583973"},"modified":"2021-07-06T13:20:58","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T17:20:58","slug":"espn-caught-in-controversy-after-leaked-recording-shows-reporter-complaining-about-diversity-promotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espn-caught-in-controversy-after-leaked-recording-shows-reporter-complaining-about-diversity-promotions\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN Caught In Controversy After Leaked Recording Shows Reporter Complaining About \u2018Diversity\u2019 Promotions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fespn-caught-in-controversy-after-leaked-recording-shows-reporter-complaining-about-diversity-promotions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=583973&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-152849281.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>The four-letter network, always first to hop on the latest woke agenda, is now embroiled in a racism controversy between two reporters.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Sunday, Kevin Draper of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/04\/sports\/basketball\/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html\">The New York Times<\/a> published a piece titled \u201cA Disparaging Video Prompts Explosive Fallout Within ESPN.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In July 2020, Rachel Nichols, an ESPN veteran and one of the top reporters at the company, had inadvertently recorded a conversation between her and <\/span><span>Adam Mendelsohn \u2014 longtime advisor of LeBron James. The conversation took place in Nichols\u2019 hotel room in Orlando, Florida, while in the NBA bubble, where the 2020 NBA Playoffs were taking place. Nichols had recently been informed by management that she would not be hosting ESPN\u2019s pregame and postgame shows during the playoffs and NBA Finals. Maria Taylor \u2014 a black woman and reporter \u2014 would be given the assignment.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nichols, who is one of the most well-known NBA reporters in the industry, was understandably upset with the decision and vented her frustrations over the phone to Mendelsohn. Conversations over job frustrations happen on a daily basis, especially in the competitive world of journalism. The problem was that Nichols had forgotten to turn off the video camera placed in her room in order for her to perform her duties as host of \u201cThe Jump,\u201d a popular NBA program on ESPN. Her conversation with Mendelsohn was recorded and sent to a server at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world \u2014 she covers football, she covers basketball,\u201d Nichols <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/04\/sports\/basketball\/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> on July 13, 2020. \u201cIf you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity \u2014 which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it \u2014 like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI just want them to go somewhere else \u2014 it\u2019s in my contract, by the way; this job is in my contract in writing.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s important to note what was occurring during the month of July 2020. The country was in the midst of riots across the nation after the death of George Floyd. The NBA \u2014 a league with predominantly black players \u2014 was at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement. The basketball courts in Orlando were plastered with BLM messaging, and NBA players were allowed to wear social justice messaging on the back of their jerseys. It was a sensitive time in America, one during which many were unable or unwilling to speak their mind without fear of facing repercussions. Nichols was having a private conversation \u2014 or so she thought.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>During the conversation, Mendelsohn replied to Nichols \u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019m exhausted. Between Me Too and Black Lives Matter, I got nothing left.\u201d Nichols then laughed, according to the recording obtained by the NY Times.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nichols and Mendelsohn went on to discuss the culture at ESPN.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThose same people \u2014 who are, like, generally white conservative male Trump voters \u2014 is part of the reason I\u2019ve had a hard time at ESPN,\u201d Nichols <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/04\/sports\/basketball\/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cI basically finally just outworked everyone for so long that they had to recognize it. I don\u2019t want to then be a victim of them trying to play catch-up for the same damage that affected me in the first place, you know what I mean. So I\u2019m trying to just be nice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Of the people who had access to the recording on ESPN\u2019s server, one recorded it to a cell phone and shared with others. The recording eventually reached ESPN executives.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI was shaken that a fellow employee would do this, and that other employees, including some of those within the N.B.A. project, had no remorse about passing around a spy video of a female co-worker alone in her hotel room,\u201d Nichols <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/04\/sports\/basketball\/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cI would in no way suggest that the way the comments came to light should grant a free pass on them being hurtful to other people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a response to The NY Times, Nichols said she was \u201cunloading to a friend about ESPN\u2019s process, not about Maria.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMy own intentions in that conversation, and the opinion of those in charge at ESPN, are not the sum of what matters here \u2014 if Maria felt the conversation was upsetting, then it was, and I was the cause of that for her,\u201d Nichols said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nichols said that she has reached out to Taylor through texts and phone calls in order to apologize, but Taylor has never responded.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMaria has chosen not to respond to these offers, which is completely fair and a decision I respect,\u201d Nichols said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nichols\u2019 recording set off a firestorm at ESPN, with many feeling that Nichols should be punished for what she said. The NY Times wrote, \u201cThey were especially upset by what they perceived as Nichols\u2019s expression of a common criticism used by white workers in many workplaces to disparage nonwhite colleagues \u2014 that Taylor was offered the hosting job only because of her race, not because she was the best person for the job.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While ESPN declined to say whether Nichols had been punished, Nichols told The Times the \u201ccontent of the conversation did not warrant any discipline.\u201d The only person known to be punished was Kayla Johnson \u2014 a digital video producer who had shared the video with Taylor. Johnson, who is black, was suspended two weeks without pay.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In an email to ESPN executives two weeks after the incident, Taylor said she felt \u201cvictimized\u201d by the recording.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI will not call myself a victim, but I certainly have felt victimized and I do not feel as though my complaints have been taken seriously,\u201d Taylor <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/04\/sports\/basketball\/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html\"><span>wrote<\/span><\/a><span> in an email to ESPN executives. \u201cIn fact, the first time I have heard from HR after 2 incidents of racial insensitivity was to ask if I leaked Rachel\u2019s tape to the media. I would never do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cSimply being a front-facing black woman at this company has taken its toll physically and mentally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The animosity between the two continued into the 2020-2021 season, with all of Nichols segments on shows involving Taylor being prerecorded in order to minimize interaction between the two,&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>All other segments done by various reporters were either prerecorded or allowed to appear live.<\/p>\n<p><span>On May 22, 2021, Taylor insisted that she be allowed to conduct live interviews with reporters on a call with an ESPN executive. Taylor claimed that the only people punished after Nichols leaked call were women of color \u2014 Johnson, herself, and three sideline reporters.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>ESPN gave in, and allowed reporters to do their spots live.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Monday, Nichols apologized for her comments on \u201cThe Jump.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI don\u2019t want to let this moment pass without saying how much I respect, how much I value our colleagues here at ESPN,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cHow deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt \u2014 particularly Maria Taylor \u2014 and how grateful I am to be part of this outstanding team.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.6575342465753\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rachel Nichols opening comments on Monday\u2019s live episode of \u201cThe Jump\u201d: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VpI826k0pp\">pic.twitter.com\/VpI826k0pp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Meg Turner (@megnturner_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/megnturner_\/status\/1412142669527126026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Taylor\u2019s contract is set to expire during the NBA Finals after she turned down a previous offer, reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/06\/30\/maria-taylor-espn-face-divorce-after-near-5-million-offer\/\">worth<\/a> $5 million per year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The four-letter network, always first to hop on the latest woke agenda, is now embroiled in a racism controversy between two reporters.\u00a0On Sunday, Kevin Draper of The New York Times &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314081,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-152849281.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"ESPN Caught In Controversy After Leaked Recording Shows Reporter Complaining About \u2018Diversity\u2019 Promotions","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-583973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-152849281.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"ESPN Caught In Controversy After Leaked Recording Shows Reporter Complaining About \u2018Diversity\u2019 Promotions","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}