ESPN anchor Jemele Hill, who previously called President Trump and his supporters “white supremacists” on social media, has been suspended for two weeks after calling for a boycott of NFL advertisers.
It wasn’t her comments disparaging the President of the United States which warranted a suspension in the eyes of ESPN brass, it was a dumb move she made in calling for a boycott of advertisers to the NFL, a league which makes the network she works for a good chunk of change.
Hill was responding to news that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had finally laid down an ultimatum to his team – respect the flag, or find yourself on the bench.
Jerry Jones just said any Cowboys player who “disrespects the flag” won’t be allowed to play.
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) October 9, 2017
Jones had tried to find common ground with players wanting to protest over ‘social justice’ issues and those wanting to support America, kneeling with his team prior to a Monday Night game two weeks ago but standing in unison when the national anthem played.
The matter resurfaced again after Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, after watching the players disrespected the anthem yet again. Jones, this time, laid down the law.
Jerry Jones: “We cannot in anyway give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag. We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind, that the [NFL] and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) October 9, 2017
Hill decided it would be a good idea to attack the cash cow that is the NFL, a league that contributes largely to her own paycheck. They pay ESPN nearly $2 billion annually to broadcast “Monday Night Football,” in a deal that spans until the year 2021.
Hill told followers to respond to Jones by boycotting advertisers, providing a list that was put together by Randy Moore, creative producer for ESPN’s hit morning radio show, Mike and Mike.
ESPN made no mention of any disciplinary action for Moore who also urged the boycott by providing the list, but who doesn’t appear to have previous instances of violating social media policy with the company.
Here’s a few:
AT&T
Bank of America
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Ford Motor
MillerCoors
PepsiCo— Randy ૐ Moore (@OfficiallyRandy) October 9, 2017
This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers. https://t.co/LFXJ9YQe74
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines,” ESPN said in a statement. “She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet.”
President Trump couldn’t help but take a shot at Hill over the suspension, tweeting this morning:
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
The moral of the story here is – tweeting that the President of the United States is a white supremacist is perfectly okay with the left-leaning ‘sports’ network. But once you start effecting the people that make the ‘straight cash’ for your network, that’s when they draw a line in the sand.
Money talks.
Should Jemele Hill have been suspended for her remarks? Let us know what you think below!
