Words by Jason Cordner
ESPN has suspended commentator Jemele Hill for two weeks following a series of tweets she sent Sunday night calling for an advertiser boycott of the Cowboys following Dallas owner and GM Jerry Jones saying his players will stand for the national anthem and not disrespect the flag, and if they do, the player or players will not play.
ESPN's Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2017
Here are Jemele Hill’s tweets that landed her in hot water with ESPN.
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
If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers. Don't place the burden squarely on the players. https://t.co/Gc48kchkuv
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
Hill’s suspension comes after “she previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet,” ESPN said in a statement. “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.”
Clearly, ESPN is holding Jemele Hill to a higher standard for her online behavior than the White House is holding the current President.
Jemele Hill’s suspension will not go over well with a lot of fans. As a private company, ESPN can do this. ESPN should, however, respect it’s reporters’ opinions.
