ESPN’s Dan Le Batard Takes Day Off From Radio Show As Company Mulls Discipline

Erik Pedersen

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ESPN host Dan Le Batard was MIA from his radio show today as his employer weighed punishment for his breaking company rules about talking politics on the air.

Le Batard had returned to his show Friday, a day after his riled his bosses over comments about Donald Trump’s war of words with a quartet of Democratic freshman congresswomen of color. Soon afterward, ESPN reminded its employees to heed its no-politics policy.

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Le Batard last week joined a chorus of critics of different political persuasions in decrying Trump’s campaign rally Wednesday in North Carolina. At the rally, chants of “send her back” broke out when POTUS repeated his critique of the four rookie lawmakers known collectively as The Squad: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Oman, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.

Earlier, Trump had tweeted and reaffirmed in public appearances his view that the women should “go back” to their “totally broken and crime-infested” countries of origin, even though three of the four are U.S.-born.

ESPN has been in the spotlight — and hot seat — lately as some of its on-air hosts and contributors work politics into their commentary. The origin of the politics rules actually stretches back more than two years, when the company’s Public Editor Jim Brady posted online a 1,400-word breakdown of its new guidelines and what they mean to viewers and readers

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz airs nationally from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET and is simulcast on cable outlet ESPNews.

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