It’s been a bad week of news for ESPN. First, we learned that massive cuts are coming to the WorldWide Leader, and apparently few personalities are safe.
Now, one of the network’s top execs is out after being accused of harassment, reports the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.
digging deeper into ESPN's reported layoffs
On Tuesday, ESPN executive vice president Rob King tweeted on his personal account that he decided “the time is right” for him to leave the company. But there’s apparently more to the story than an amiable departure.
Marchand writes the harassment allegations against King were due to social media posts, and brought to the attention of ESPN’s human resources department.
King enjoyed an impressive 20-year run at ESPN, first making waves as the head of ESPN.com in the early aughts, and building up the company’s digital presence.
More recently, he was the executive at large for special projects, and reported directly to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
When King was the head of “SportsCenter,” he made the call to have Jemele Hill and Michael Smith lead the show’s signature 6:00 pm edition. Hill and Smith both left the show, dubbed “The Six,” in 2018 — just one year after being named hosts.