Sports reporter Adrian Wojnarowski was suspended by ESPN on Saturday after a vulgar email he sent to a Missouri Senator made its way to social media. The length of the suspension has not been reported but Yahoo Sports is reporting that Woj’s time off will be unpaid.
In the subject line of the email Senator Josh Hawley was sending to Woj it read “Kowtowing to Beijing & Refusing to Support U.S. Military and Law Enforcement.” The email was a press release the senator sent out addressing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
In response to the press release, Woj told the senator “f*ck you.” Woj later apologized for the email. “I was disrespectful and made a regrettable mistake,” Woj said on Twitter. “I’m sorry for the way I handled myself and I am reaching out immediately to Senator Hawley to apologize directly.”
Right-wing politicians and republicans have criticized ESPN in the belief that the sports network favors liberal ideas on its network. Woj’s email only enflamed that belief.
On the flip side, the hashtag #FreeWoj quickly became a trend on Twitter once the suspension announcement came down. Woj has been with the network since 2017.
