Get ready for some controversy.
Jemele Hill, anchor on SportsCenter for ESPN, has received a two week suspension after violating the company’s social media policy for a second time.
ESPN released the following statement:
ESPN's Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2017
Hill received the latest violation for posting a series of tweets over the previous weekend regarding the controversial kneeling during the national anthem. Dallas Cowboy team owner Jerry Jones said he would bench any player that knelt during the anthem, which caused Hill to take to social media and blast his statement and the Cowboy advertisers that supported it.
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 only Greg Hardy had kneeled ... https://t.co/H6ifF24aIY
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
Jerry Jones also has created a problem for his players, specifically the black ones. If they don't kneel, some will see them as sellouts.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
No. Jerry has turned this into them choosing football over the community they represent and that isn't right. https://t.co/u4MgpnCDAI
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017
Donald Trump decided to take the opportunity to then slam Hill and ESPN, putting out this tweet the day following the start of her suspension:
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
This all comes only one month after Hill’s first warning, when Hill had another series of controversial Twitter posts that called Trump a white supremacist.
Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded via The Washington Post saying, “That’s one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN.”
ESPN then announced that the comments did not represent the entire company’s beliefs. Hill later apologized to her co-workers, but didn’t back down:
So, to address the elephant in the room ... #Facts pic.twitter.com/RTrIDD87ut
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 14, 2017
With the latest suspension, she seems to be doubling-down — and she deserves all the credit in the world for it. It's not always easy to stand up for your personal beliefs, especially when your job is on the line and the President of the United States decides to personally call you out for it. Yet, Hill is confident enough in her opinions, has a large enough following to create waves in the community and has decided to take a stand. Props to her.
Catch Jemele Hill on the 6 p.m. (EST) edition SportsCenter once the suspension is lifted, and let us know what you think about the news in the comments below.
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